
Ravens tie for AFC North lead, Chiefs get past Texans
Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Humphrey scored on a fourth-quarter interception return to help the Baltimore Ravens pull even with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North with a 34-17 victory over the Steelers on Saturday.
Pittsburgh (10-5) would have clinched the division with a victory, but now the teams are deadlocked after the Ravens (10-5) won for just the second time in the last 10 games in this series. Baltimore clinched a playoff berth. The Steelers had already done so.
Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes, the second of which tied the game at 17 with 5:14 left in the third quarter. Jackson answered with a 7-yard scoring strike to Mark Andrews, and after Pittsburgh turned the ball over on downs, a 44-yard run by Derrick Henry put the Ravens in the red zone.
That drive came to nothing when Jackson was intercepted for just the fourth time this season, but then Humphrey picked off Wilson and went 37 yards to the end zone to give Baltimore a cushion in a series that's been razor-thin of late. The previous nine games between the Steelers and Ravens were decided by seven points or fewer.
Jackson improved to 2-4 against Pittsburgh as a starter. This was his first time facing the Steelers at home since 2020.
Pittsburgh entered the game with a plus-18 margin in turnovers, but the Ravens had the edge in that department Saturday. Baltimore recovered three of its own fumbles and had two big takeaways.
Clinchmas came early pic.twitter.com/NwZT9M1h39
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 22, 2024
Chiefs beat Texans to move closer to top seed
Patrick Mahomes threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while running for a score on his ailing ankle, and the Kansas City Chiefs took a big step toward securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans.
The AFC West champion Chiefs (14-1), who have won four straight against the AFC South champ Texans (9-6), can clinch the postseason bye if Buffalo loses to or ties New England on Sunday. If the Bills win, Kansas City can wrap it up by beating Pittsburgh on Christmas Day.
Xavier Worthy had seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, Kareem Hunt ran for 55 yards and another score, and Marquise Brown had five catches for 45 yards for Kansas City in his first game this season after recovering from a shoulder injury.
C.J. Stroud had 244 yards and two touchdown passes with two interceptions for Houston, though one of those TD throws came at great expense. Tank Dell, who had six catches for 98 yards, suffered a severe left knee injury on the play and was carted from the field.
There were questions early in the week about whether Mahomes would play after sustaining a high ankle sprain late in last week's win over Cleveland. But the two-time MVP was off the injury report by Friday, and Mahomes showed no problems on the Chiefs' opening drive Saturday, finishing it off with a 15-yard scramble to the end zone.
VICTORY VIBES! pic.twitter.com/dj7VuopMDI
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 21, 2024