Quarterback Lamar Jackson authored the best playoff performance of his career as the Ravens handled the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 in their AFC wild-card-round game Saturday night.

Jackson, who improved to 3-4 in the postseason, finished with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 16-for-21 passing and added 14 carries for 82 yards inside M&T Bank Stadium, leading an offense that outgained Pittsburgh 464-280.

With the win, the third-seeded Ravens advanced to next weekend’s divisional round. Their opponent will be decided Sunday. If the second-seeded Buffalo Bills beat the seventh-seeded Denver Broncos, the Ravens will travel to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. If the Broncos upset the Bills, the Ravens will host the fourth-seeded Houston Texans, who blew out the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.

The Ravens, slow to start on offense during Jackson’s playoff career, scored a touchdown on their opening drive and led the rest of the way. They went up 21-0 at halftime, twice reaching the end zone on 13-play drives, including an 85-yard march that featured all runs.

Running back Derrick Henry finished with 26 carries for 186 yards — a franchise playoff record — and two touchdowns in his Ravens postseason debut, including a 44-yard score in the third quarter that halted Pittsburgh’s momentum after the Steelers’ first touchdown.

Rashod Bateman, stepping into the Ravens’ top wide receiver role with Zay Flowers sidelined by a knee injury, opened the scoring Saturday with a 15-yard score on third-and-13. Tight end Isaiah Likely had three catches for a team-high 53 yards. Running back Justice Hill, left uncovered after a Jackson scramble, scored on a 5-yard catch-and-run with two seconds left in the first half.

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, in perhaps his final start for Pittsburgh, went 20-for-29 for 270 yards and two second-half touchdowns. Wide receiver George Pickens had five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown as Pittsburgh lost its sixth straight playoff game. The Steelers were limited to 11 carries for 29 yards and allowed 299 to the Ravens overall.

Running to Round 2

This is why Derrick Henry came to Baltimore. When the weather gets cold, and opponents are tired, he and Lamar Jackson thrive. Even with top wide receiver Zay Flowers out and an unlikely cast of backups rotating in, the Ravens offense was humming. That’s because it stuck to what it does best: attacking teams in various ways on the ground. Henry broke off big runs and wore down the Steelers while Jackson kept them honest. It’s a combination that will be hard to beat — because this Steelers defense is not one to scoff at.

– Giana Han, Ravens reporter

Lamar unleashed

The Ravens are best when they’re not holding back. In the first half, we saw what that looked like, as Lamar Jackson ran the ball to soften up the Steelers front, then Derrick Henry dropped the hammer. The result was a 21-0 lead, including a stunning two-minute drive that finished with Jackson tapdancing in the backfield until Justice Hill was open. The Ravens got more conservative in the second half and thus less explosive. But, while things were humming, we saw Jackson at his most dangerous — the dual threat who can dash for first downs but also pinpoint back-of-the-end-zone throws. If he’s not the best player in the NFL, I don’t know who is.

– Kyle Goon, columnist

Set the tone

The Ravens’ first half was for the fan of old-fashioned, smashmouth, trench warfare football. Their 13-play, passless touchdown drive put them up 14-0. Another score made it 21-0 at the break. And from there Baltimore just put the car in neutral and rolled it down the hill to victory.

Missing Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers, this offense leaned into the run game early and often. Lamar Jackson carried a whopping 11 times before halftime, and Derrick Henry had already passed the century mark. For all the criticism this offensive line has endured this season, it has been money in the ground game. Just imagine if the Ravens get Flowers back for the divisional round.

– Paul Mancano, Banner Ravens Podcast co-host

It got uncomfortable but worked out

A ho-hum second half could have been more comfortable, but, hey, Baltimore is advancing. Despite a forgettable third quarter for the Ravens, their first half — in which they permitted just 60 yards and took a three-touchdown lead into intermission — propelled them to victory. There was stout defense, playmaking by Lamar Jackson, and a 13-play touchdown drive featuring nothing but rushes. The lasting image, for me, will be Derrick Henry gliding, waltzing even, past a host of Steelers on his way to a seemingly effortless touchdown run in the third quarter.

— Hayes Gardner, reporter