The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
NFL: Jackson stars as Ravens dump Titans
Lamar Jackson rushed for a touchdown en route to recording his first NFL playoff win in the Baltimore Ravens' 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
Jackson completed 17 of 24 passes for 179 yards and rushed 16 times for 136 yards, including a 48-yard score with 2:32 left in the second quarter. His performance helped fifth-seeded Baltimore outgain fourth-seeded Tennessee in total yards (401-209).
The victory propels the Ravens into the AFC semifinals next weekend, when they'll visit either the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs or secondseeded Buffalo Bills. That will depend on the result of Sunday night's matchup between the sixth-seeded Cleveland Browns and third-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers.
"It feels good, all three phases played good. We finished," Jackson said. "We stayed focused, we didn't get rattled. We had to get points on the board. We just kept fighting and made it happen.
"We got to go score. It's not going to be the same results after last year. It was about us winning the game, it wasn't about me and Derrick Henry. (The players on defence) were tired of hearing the noise. They've been doing all season, we came together and got it done."
The Titans failed to build on a 10-0 first quarter lead as their high-powered offense couldn't crank up the running game. Henry, who authored the eighth 2,000-yard rushing season in league history, was held to 40 yards on 18 carries by a defence that used run blitzes liberally.
Tennessee initiated scoring with 5:39 left in the first quarter on Ryan Tannehill's 10-yard pass to A.J. Brown. It upped the lead to 10-0 just under four minutes later, turning Malcolm Butler's interception of Jackson into Stephen Gostkowski's 45-yard field goal.
Baltimore got on the board with 10:02 remaining in the first half on Justin Tucker's 33-yard field goal, then tied the score on Jackson's electrifying third down touchdown scamper.
"He made a good play and we didn't do a good job of making him go laterally," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.
Rookie J.K. Dobbins gave the Ravens the lead for good on a four-yard scoring run with 9:01 left in the third quarter, finishing off a 77-yard drive.
Gostkowski pulled the Titans within 17-13 by nailing a 25-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, but Tucker increased the lead to seven on a 51-yard boot with 4:23 remaining.
Tennessee's last chance to tie the game ended when Tannehill was intercepted by Marcus Peters on the first play after the two-minute warning.
Tannehill finished the game 18 of 26 for 165 yards. The Titans managed only 83 total yards after the first quarter.
Rams 30, Seahawks 20: Cam Akers rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown and Darious Williams returned an interception for a score as the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Rams upset the host Seattle Seahawks on Saturday in the opening round of the NFC playoffs.
Matt Gay kicked three field goals for the Rams and their defense allowed 278 yards of total offense against the thirdseeded Seahawks, who had won their previous 10 postseason games at Lumen Field. Seattle's last home playoff loss was to the St. Louis Rams in 2004.
"I have no place in my brain for this outcome," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said.
Jared Goff, who suffered a fractured right thumb at Seattle two weeks ago that required surgery, came off the bench to guide the Rams, throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robert Woods with 4:46 remaining to help clinch the victory. Goff was 9 of 19 for 155 yards in place of starter John Wolford.
Bills 27, Colts 24: Josh Allen passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another and the Buffalo Bills recorded their first playoff victory since 1995 by notching a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in an AFC wild-card game at Orchard Park, N.Y.
Stefon Diggs caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, Dawson Knox also had a scoring reception and Tyler Bass kicked two field goals as second-seeded Buffalo snapped a six-game postseason skid. The Bills' opponent in the divisional round will be determined on Sunday.
Allen completed 26 of 35 passes and added 54 yards on 11 carries for Buffalo, which has won seven consecutive games.
Buccaneers 31, Washington 23: Tom Brady threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns to propel the visiting Buccaneers to a victory over the Washington Football Team in an NFC wild-card game in Landover, Md.
Leonard Fournette added 132 yards from scrimmage and a three-yard touchdown run for the fifth-seeded Buccaneers, who recorded their first playoff win since Super Bowl XXXVII on Jan. 26, 2003.
Redskins quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw for 306 yards with a touchdown and added an eight-yard scoring scamper while starting in place of Alex Smith (calf strain).