The Ravens showed no sign of rust on Saturday, as Lamar Jackson and Co. took out C.J. Stroud and the Texans in the AFC divisional round.
The top-seeded Baltimore squad, fresh off a hard-earned bye week after finishing with the best record in the NFL at 13-4, took it to Houston on both sides of the ball, resulting in a 34-10 victory. Jackson threw two touchdowns and also ran for two as well, climbing up the all-time career playoff rushing yards leaderboard among quarterbacks in the process.
There have been plenty of critics about Jackson and his performances in the playoffs. He shut all of them up on Saturday, putting together his best postseason showing to date.
With the win, John Harbaugh's coalition advances to the AFC Championship for the first time since 2012 — and for the first time in team history, that conference championship will be held in Baltimore.
MORE: NFL divisional playoff picks against the spread
But who will be the opponent coming to M&T Bank Stadium? The Sporting News explains:
NFL playoff bracket 2024
Who will the Ravens play in the AFC Championship?
The Ravens and Texans were the first matchup of Divisional Round weekend, kicking off on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Baltimore took care of business at home, knocking out Stroud and Houston 34-10 to advance to the AFC Championship.
They had to wait for their opponent until the conclusion of the Chiefs vs. Bills game on Sunday, Jan. 21.
No. 1 Ravens vs. No. 3 Chiefs
Unlike the slight matchup confusion the wild card results can produce, the NFL playoffs become very self-explanatory after the first round.
The Ravens are going to face the winner of the Bills-Chiefs divisional round game that is set for Sunday. Baltimore punched its ticket to the AFC Championship for the first time in the Lamar Jackson era.
As unbelievable as it may sound, it is the first time Baltimore will be the home team for an AFC Championship since 1971. And it gets to do so against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Kansas City defeated Josh Allen and Buffalo for the third time in the Mahomes era, hanging on for a 27-24 victory over the Bills. With the win, the Chiefs advanced to their sixth consecutive AFC Championship.
