BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson strode into M&T Bank Stadium clad in all black on Saturday night. It turned out to be an appropriate motif for the voodoo burial he was about to oversee.

Baltimore entered its wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers winners of four straight but with questions over whether Jackson’s regular-season brilliance would fail to carry over to the playoffs as it had so many times before. Especially without his top receiver Zay Flowers, who was ruled out earlier in the week with a knee injury, and in particular against a Steelers team that had vexed him and the Ravens in recent years.

The game lasted 60 minutes, but it took just 30 to get a resounding answer.

The Ravens pounded Pittsburgh, jumping out to a 21-0 first-half lead and rolling to a 28-14 victory in front of a crowd of 70,546.

Jackson completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 81 yards on 15 carries. Running back Derrick Henry gashed Pittsburgh again, this time running for 186 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns, and Baltimore’s ascending defense largely stifled the Steelers’ already struggling offense.

The victory sets up a potential divisional round showdown on the road next weekend against the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen if Buffalo beats the Denver Broncos on Sunday. If the Broncos upset the second-seeded Bills, Baltimore will host the AFC South champion Houston Texans.

The Steelers, meanwhile, ended their season losers of five straight, and it was obvious from the start that this one would be different than many of the previous close and weird contests between rivals.

The Ravens marched 95 yards on 13 plays and chewed up nearly half of the first quarter on their opening drive. Sixty-five of those yards came on the legs of Jackson — who at one point ran five straight times — and Henry, who ripped off a 34-yard run on a direct snap.

Then the All-Pro quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player Award candidate connected with Rashod Bateman streaking across the back of the end zone for a touchdown, capping what was the longest drive against the Steelers in the playoffs since the 2005 divisional round.

It was the first time Baltimore had scored on an opening drive in any playoff game Jackson had started. It also set the tone.

The Ravens’ second scoring drive was nearly as long, covering 85 yards, again on 13 plays, and chewed up 7:56. Henry finished it off with an 8-yard run through the left side of the line.

Baltimore’s next possession lasted just nine plays, but it again nearly went the length of the field. It covered 90 yards in 1:51 with Jackson eluding trouble and eventually finding an open Justice Hill for a 5-yard touchdown toss with just two seconds left on the first-half clock.

And even when it looked like the Steelers had a chance to move the ball early on, they came up painfully short.

On a third-and-2 from their own 29-yard line early in the second quarter from their own 29, quarterback Russell Wilson (20-of-29 passing, 270 yards, two touchdowns) hit tight end Pat Freiermuth in the right flat, but the much smaller Ar’Darius Washington raced in with the safety dropping for a gain of just a yard.

Things didn’t go any better for the Steelers on their next possession, either.

On third-and-8 from their own 44, Wilson’s moonball to George Pickens up the right side of the field landed perfectly in the receiver’s hands for a 49-yard gain and the offense's biggest play of the game to that point. Except he pushed off on cornerback Humphrey, was flagged for offensive pass interference and two plays later Pittsburgh punted again.

The Ravens finished the first half with 308 yards, while the Steelers managed a paltry 60.

Baltimore had 19 first downs in the first half, while Pittsburgh had just two. The Ravens held the ball for 20:27, the Steelers just 9:33.

Still, the Steelers showed some signs of life in the second half, albeit only momentarily.

On their opening possession of the third quarter, Wilson hit Calvin Austin III for a 25-yard gain. Then, he dropped one into the hands of Mike Williams, who slipped past Tre’Davious White, for 37 more. Finally, he connected with Van Jefferson, who zoomed past Brandon Stephens for an easy 30-yard touchdown catch. Then, the Steelers’ defense sacked Jackson for a 10-yard loss.

Perhaps the ghosts of Steelers past were stirring.

Before last month’s victory over Pittsburgh, Baltimore had dropped eight of nine against the Steelers. Jackson had come into the game with just a 2-4 career record in the playoffs and a matching mark against the Steelers.

In his six postseason starts, he’d thrown six interceptions and lost three fumbles. But that was then.

He also never had a finisher like Henry.

On second-and-20 midway through the third quarter, Jackson hit Tylan Wallace on a short pass that the receiver pushed to a 21-yard gain. Two plays later, the Steelers’ defense parted and Henry raced 44 yards up the middle for another touchdown.

The Steelers shot right back, though, going 70 yards in just five plays, with Wilson again launching one deep and connecting with Pickens, who’d run past rookie Nate Wiggins, for a 36-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 28-14 at the 3:32 mark of the third quarter.

But that was as close as Pittsburgh would get the rest of the night.

Chants of “MVP! MVP!” repeatedly broke out. And Jackson finally played like one in the playoffs.

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