Baltimore Ravens cruise past Cleveland Browns to secure AFC North
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry led the Baltimore Ravens to a win over division rivals Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
(CNN) — The final week of the NFL regular season got off to a hot start with the Baltimore Ravens clinching the AFC North following a dominant 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns at MT&T Bank Stadium.
Even though the win was not in doubt, Ravens’ Michael Pierce will never forget how the game ended.
The defensive lineman, who is listed at 355 pounds, went into coverage and intercepted Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe much to the delight of his teammates and the fans in Baltimore.
Following the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that Pierce was a recipient of a game ball.
“The most amazing play in – the most crazy amazing play in NFL history,” Harbaugh joked. “That’s what we said it was, so he got a game ball for that.”
But as it is most weeks, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry starred for the Ravens as the catalysts for their high-powered offense.
The two-time MVP Jackson bolstered his case for his second consecutive award, finishing with 217 yards passing and two touchdowns while adding 63 yards on the ground. He eclipsed 4,000 passing yards for the season, becoming the first quarterback to reach 4,000 yards passing with 40 TD passes and four or fewer interceptions.
“It’s almost like say less, what else needs to be said,” Harbaugh said when asked about Jackson’s season. “Dude is a competitor. He’s a fighter. He’s just one of a kind. There is nobody like Lamar Jackson.”
As for “King Henry,” he did something no other player has done in NFL history, running for 138 yards and two touchdowns to finish the regular season with 1,870 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The five-time Pro Bowler becomes the first player to finish three career seasons with 1,500 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, according to the ESPN broadcast.
Despite ending the year with a 3-14 record, the Browns locked up a little something for the future.
The loss clinches Cleveland a top-3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with the chance to secure the first overall pick depending on how Sunday’s results turn out.
With the Ravens locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, they will await their first round matchup which could either feature a showdown against Harbaugh’s brother, Jim and his Los Angeles Chargers or divisional foes Pittsburgh Steelers.
The-CNN-Wire
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