Ravens in total control, lead Steelers 21-0 at halftime

The Ravens and Steelers have played a lot of close games over the years, but Saturday’s Wild Card game in Baltimore is not shaping up to be one of them.

Lamar Jackson has thrown two touchdowns, Derrick Henry has run for another and the Steelers have managed just 59 yards through the first 30 minutes of play. That adds up to a 21-0 Ravens lead and a steep mountain for the Steelers to climb if they want their season to continue.

The Ravens drove 95 yards for a touchdown the first time they had the ball and then had a 13-play touchdown drive that featured nothing but running plays against an overwhelmed Steelers defense. After forcing a punt at the two-minute warning, the Ravens ran two more times before the Steelers took a timeout ahead of a third down. It seemed like the Ravens might be content to run out the clock with a two-score lead, but they put the ball back into the air after the break and Jackson completed six straight passes to stretch the lead to 21 points.

Jackson is 13-of-15 for 144 yards through the air and he’s run 11 times for 64 yards. Henry has 13 carries for 100 yards in his Ravens playoff debut and the Steelers’ attempt to slow them down won’t be helped by defensive end Cam Heyward’s exit with an injury just before halftime.

Their offense hasn’t been any better and it’s fair to wonder what kind of changes will be coming in Pittsburgh if the second half is more of the same. It would be their fifth straight loss and their offense has gone into silent mode over the entire run.