BALTIMORE — On a record-setting day for quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens repeated as AFC North champions on Saturday.
In beating the last-place Cleveland Browns, 35-10, the Ravens captured the AFC’s No. 3 seed and will play host to either the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers in next weekend’s wild-card round of the playoffs. The Chargers will be the No. 6 seed if they lose to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The Steelers will be the No. 6 seed if they lose to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday and the Chargers beat the Raiders.
Jackson capped a historic season with his performance Saturday — going 16 of 32 passing for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed nine times for 63 yards. He became the first player ever to record over 4,000 yards passing and 900 yards rushing in a single season. With 41 touchdown passes and four interceptions, Jackson also became the first player to throw 40 touchdown passes and fewer than five interceptions in a season.
Baltimore came into the game favored by 20 points, according to ESPN BET, which was the largest point spread in the NFL since 2021.
On a day of celebration, there was cause for concern. On a week where he was named to his first Pro Bowl, Zay Flowers — the Ravens’ No. 1 wide receiver — injured his right knee early in the second quarter and did not return.
Here are the keys from the game:
Most surprising performance: Derrick Henry. It looked like Henry was going to be non-factor after he was limited to eight yards on six carries in the first half. But he bounced back to gain 130 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. His 1,921 yards rushing this season surpassed Tiki Barber (1,860 in 2005) for most yards rushing by a player 30 or older.
Promising trend: The Ravens have recorded two pick-sixes in their last three games. Rookie first-round pick Nate Wiggins scored Baltimore’s first touchdown Saturday, when he returned his first career interception 26 yards for the score. This came two weeks after Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey sealed a win over the Steelers with a pick-six. This is the first time since 2019 that Baltimore has recorded multiple pick-sixes in a season. Wiggins is also the first Ravens rookie to return an interception for a touchdown in 18 years.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Ravens’ aggressiveness on fourth down. Instead of settling for field goals, Baltimore came up short on two fourth downs inside Browns’ territory, which continued a weird trend. The Ravens are 0-for-4 on fourth down against the Browns this season, but they’re 8-for-10 on fourth down against the rest of the league. Jackson threw two incompletions on fourth down against Cleveland on Saturday.
Eye-popping stat: Jackson’s 7-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Rashod Bateman in the third quarter was a familiar look for the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player. This was Jackson’s league-leading 13th touchdown pass to a wide open receiver (five or more yards of target separation), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Jackson finished with 41 touchdown passes this season, which are five more than he’s ever had in a single season. — Jamison Hensley
The Browns starting Bailey Zappe at quarterback was a fitting end to a disappointing season that saw four different quarterbacks start amid constant struggles on offense.
Zappe became the 40th quarterback to start since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999, the most in the NFL. Saturday’s season finale wasn’t about the game for the Browns as much as what awaits in the offseason. A year after overcoming a myriad injuries and returning to the playoffs, Cleveland must address a roster that regressed, with no position more paramount to solve than at quarterback.
Deshaun Watson posted the lowest total QBR in the NFL before tearing his right Achilles tendon in Week 7, the second straight year his season ended because of injury. The Browns could look to a free agent class that might include Kirk Cousins if he’s released by the Atlanta Falcons or turn to the draft.
Troubling trend: Zappe’s first quarter pick-six was the 22nd interception a Browns quarterback had thrown this season, and his second one put them at 23 — the most in the NFL. It’s played a big part in Cleveland having the worst turnover margin (-22) in the league this season.
QB breakdown: Zappe made his first start of the season and while he threw the aforementioned interception, he did lead the Browns to a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and showed more comfort in the pocket than Dorian Thompson-Robinson did in his two starts. Zappe finished 16 of 31 passing for 170 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Cleveland will likely be on the lookout for a quarterback to compete with Watson for the starting spot next summer, but Zappe, who is a restricted free agent, could stay with the team to develop as a third quarterback or possibly a backup.
Silver lining: With the loss, the Browns are guaranteed to have a top-three pick in the draft, which could be prime position to solve their quarterback quandary in the offseason. Cleveland could jump to the No. 1 pick with wins by the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans on Sunday. — Daniel Oyefusi
