The Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens have progressed to the AFC Divisional round of the NFL playoffs thanks to respective wild card wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the first phase of post-season fixtures, the Texans and Chargers were part of history as the Houston franchise triumphed 32-12, the first match ever in the NFL to end with that exact score.
Following the Texans' and Chargers' 'scorigami', the Ravens blew the Steelers out of the water in the first half to triumph 28-14 in Maryland, as the Pittsburgh outfit lost in the first round of the playoffs for the fifth time since 2017.
In the maiden playoff meeting between the Chargers and Texans, Cameron Dicker kicked twice for a 6-0 first-quarter lead for the LA side, but CJ Stroud's 13-yard pass for Nico Collins and a 41-yard Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal propelled the Texans ahead approaching the halfway mark.
DeMeco Ryans's defence excelled at NRG Stadium, as Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw no fewer than four interceptions, one more than he had registered in the whole of the regular season.
Herbert still managed to execute an 86-yard pass to rookie Ladd McConkey in the fourth quarter, but only after another pair of Fairbairn kicks and an Eric Murray touchdown, before D'Angelo Ross scored the first-ever two-point defensive conversion in the NFL playoffs.
KING THINGS
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 12, 2025
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Joe Mixon's 17-yard rush put the icing on the cake for the Texans, who could be pitting their wits against the Ravens in the Divisional round after the Baltimore side condemned the Chargers to a familiar playoff fate.
Rashod Bateman, Justice Hill and Derrick Henry all registered for the Ravens in the opening half, giving John Harbaugh's side a seemingly unassailable 21-0 lead heading into the final two quarters, and so it proved.
Thirty-one-year-old Henry made his second touchdown with a 44-yard rush either side of responses from Van Jefferson and George Pickens, as the Ravens running-back set a new franchise playoff record of 186 rushing yards.
What next in the NFL playoffs?
The Texans could end up visiting the Ravens in the AFC Divisional round if the Denver Broncos stun second-seeded Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday; the Broncos would then take on defending champions Kansas City Chiefs for a spot in the AFC Championship game.
However, if the Bills eliminate the Broncos at the first hurdle, Baltimore will head to New York to face the former side on the weekend of January 18/19.
The NFC wild card round also gets underway on Sunday, as the Green Bay Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles while the Washington Commanders visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ben Knapton
