Ravens’ 355-pound lineman makes interception to win division title against Browns
Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce intercepted the first pass of his NFL career to seal a victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
Pierce made a big pick on the Browns’ drive in the red zone and the Ravens led 35-10.
Pierce got into coverage, used his 355-pound body to block a pass from Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and brought the ball in. game, keeping his offense under control.
After the game, the Ravens celebrated their second consecutive NFC North Championship.
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Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson runs the ball during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. (Greg Fihm/Getty Images)
The Ravens (12-5) will host the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers in their playoff opener. Baltimore fell two games behind the Steelers in the division before winning its final four games to finish first.
Cleveland (3-14) ended a terrible season with a six-game losing streak. Both Bailey Zappe and Thompson Robinson started at quarterback in the final game. Neither man could move the ball, and Zappe caught a 26-yard touchdown return from rookie Nate Wiggins for the game’s first points.
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The biggest concern for the Ravens heading into this game is the health of Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, who left the game in the second quarter with a right knee injury.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw touchdown passes to Mark Andrews in the second quarter and Rashod Bateman in the third quarter to cap off a stellar season that could have earned him a No. Three MVP awards.
Jackson finished the season with 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He became the first quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards with 40 touchdowns and four or fewer interceptions.
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Cleveland Browns’ D’Onta Foreman (27) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens’ Roquan Smith (0) in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on January 4, 2025. shovel down. (Scott Teich/Getty Images)
Jackson finished the season with 915 yards rushing, becoming the first person to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800 yards. Single season record.
Zappe threw for 170 yards and two interceptions. In the fourth quarter, he threw a 16-yard score to Jordan Akins to make it 21-10, but the Ravens responded with a 70-yard field goal that ended with Derrick Henry running back 2 yard touchdown.
Henry, who turned 31 on Saturday, had a 43-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter. He ended the season with 1,921 yards rushing and a franchise-record 16 rushing touchdowns.
Cleveland has now gone 28 straight games without allowing a 300-yard passer. Jackson went 16-of-32 for 217 yards.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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