As quarterback Lamar Jackson addressed the media during his postgame press conference and wide receiver Rashod Bateman held court in the locker room, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh slowly made his way along a row of the team’s defensive linemen, giving out hugs and slapping backs.

“I mean, how many rushing yards did they get?” he asked with a broad grin.

“Twenty-nine yards,” the linemen replied, causing Harbaugh to shake his head in disbelief.

Baltimore shifted its defensive strategy slightly in a 28-14 AFC wild-card round-win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night — and the plan clearly worked.

Pittsburgh rushed for over 100 yards twice against the Ravens in the regular season, an impressive feat considering only two other opponents reached that mark against the Ravens.

So, shutting down the Steelers on the ground and making them one-dimensional became the focus for the Ravens. Pittsburgh running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for only 23 yards on eight carries.

Eventually, though, the Steelers turned to throwing the ball — they were down 21-0 at half and had no other choice — and the Ravens’ secondary once again struggled. Breakdowns reminiscent of the unit’s early-season woes will cause lingering concerns coming out of what was otherwise a strong performance by the Ravens.

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson finished with 251 passing yards and an average of 7.4 yards per pass (just shy of Jackson’s 7.5). The Ravens had given up more than 200 passing yards only once since Week 11, when they adjusted their scheme to have Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington play safety.

The Steelers’ passing game had been slumping. After going over 400 passing yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, the Steelers did not surpass 200 in either of their final games. They got top receiver George Pickens healthy, though (he missed the last game against the Ravens) and had been working to get him back up to speed — especially when it came to running under Wilson’s signature deep throws.

So the Ravens zeroed in on the run game — and Pickens.

“Stop No. 14, stop the run, we knew we was going to be successful,” Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins said.

They were right — even if they weren’t perfect. Dominance against the run put them over the top — but their struggles with Pickens made the game much closer than it should have been. With five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, Pickens exposed the holes that still exist in the secondary. A 30-yard touchdown catch by Van Jefferson helped emphasize them, as well.

Wiggins, who has had an otherwise excellent rookie season, allowed the Pickens touchdown. Cornerback Brandon Stephens, who had a breakout last year but has struggled through this season, got beat by Jefferson (Hamilton appeared upset with Stephens after the play.)

Wiggins blamed miscommunication for the score he gave up. Stephens said execution was the problem on his but quickly added that players and coaches would need to get in the film room to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

“They found the weakness in the coverage, and we didn’t play it quite perfectly,” Harbaugh said. “We have to chase perfection and play those things a little better.”

The Ravens allowed six plays of 20 or more passing yards Saturday. In the seven previous games, they allowed a combined 11 completions of at least 20 yards, the fewest in the NFL, and no more than three in a game.

But linebacker Roquan Smith wasn’t worried.

“Yeah, there was some adversity throughout the game, but there was adversity throughout the season as well,” Smith said. “And we stood tall, you know, despite what anybody said, despite the adversity that was going on out there.”

Harbaugh echoed Smith’s message and defended Stephens’ play — as he has done all season.

“I mean, those throws up the sideline, they were just great throws and great catches,” Harbaugh said. “Those were well-covered plays, and they made them.”

Should the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos Sunday, the Ravens will head to Buffalo to face Josh Allen on his own turf in the divisional round.

Allen is in the MVP conversation and has already earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors (behind Jackson). He’s averaging 7.7 yards per pass and 219 passing yards per game. He’s also a threat on the ground.

The Ravens held him to 180 passing yards and 21 rushing yards, while sacking him three times, in a Week 4 drubbing of the Bills, 35-10.

Should the Broncos beat the Bills, however, the Ravens will host the Texans and C.J. Stroud. They also shut down the Houston passing attack in a 31-2 victory in Week 17; Stroud threw for just 185 yards.

That’s why, now that the Ravens have done all they can do, they will be tuning in Sunday as fans.

“I’m definitely going to watch the game and see who we potentially play,” Washington said.