The Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs will begin on ESPN for the first time as the Houston Texans visit the Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, January 20, 4:15 p.m. ET) on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes, as the AFC South Champion meets the AFC’s top-seeded team.
Lamar Jackson enters the contest as the MVP favorite and, before the matchup, sat down with the great Chris Berman to discuss his “growth” as quarterback this season and how the Ravens’ playoff run will be different from 2019 when they were the No. 1 overall seed and were upset by the Titans.
Before his ‘24 #NFLPlayoffs debut, @Lj_era8 sat down with Chris Berman to discuss the growth of his game & why he thinks this postseason run will be different for the @Ravens
Postseason NFL Countdown
🏈 Saturday | 2p ET | ESPN pic.twitter.com/u4vCLxh4VM— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 19, 2024
In the first matchup between the two teams, the host Ravens won 25-9, holding Houston to 268 yards, while Jackson had two turnovers and 169 yards passing in his first game action in almost a year. The 78.0 passer rating in C.J. Stroud’s NFL debut for Houston was his second-lowest of the season.
The pressure is on Jackson, who is 1-3 in playoff games and 0-2 at home.
Jackson is the leading candidate for NFL MVP and will start his first postseason game since the 2020 season. Jackson was injured and missed Baltimore’s lone playoff game last season.
