Lamar Jackson stars as Baltimore Ravens clinch AFC North crown
2025-01-05
Category: sports

Lamar Jackson shone again as the Baltimore Ravens clinched the AFC North title and the third seed spot in the conference with a 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.The victory means the Ravens will begin the NFL play-offs next week at home to either the Los Angeles Chargers or the Pittsburgh Steelers.The Cincinnati Bengals kept their AFC play-off hopes alive with a 19-17 win at the Steelers.The Bengals need the Denver Broncos to lose and Miami Dolphins to lose or tie their games on Sunday to claim a play-off spot.In Baltimore, Jackson, who is in the running for a third Most Valuable Player award, threw two touchdown passes while Derrick Henry added two fourth-quarter scoring runs as the Browns suffered a sixth straight loss.Jackson completed 16 of 32 passes for 217 yards while adding 63 yards on nine rushes, finishing the regular season with 41 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He ends the campaign with 4,172 yards passing and 915 yards rushing making him the first quarterback in NFL history to finish with 4,000+ passing yards and 800+ rushing yards.Henry compiled 138 yards on 20 carries, giving him 1,921 yards and 16 rushing scores.But there was a concern for Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh with his leading wide receiver, Zay Flowers, suffering a right knee injury in the second quarter.
In Pittsburgh, Joe Burrow passed for 277 yards and one touchdown while Ja'Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown and Cade York kicked four field goals as Cincinnati made it five wins in a row.The Steelers had already clinched a playoff berth but were eliminated from the AFC North race earlier on Saturday thanks to Baltimore's win.Russell Wilson was 17-of-31 passing for 148 yards and one touchdown for Pittsburgh who had just 193 total yards as they slipped to a fourth straight defeat.Najee Harris rushed for a touchdown and Pat Freiermuth had eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh, who will either be the fifth or sixth seed in the AFC play-offs.