The Baltimore Ravens dominated the AFC North, beating the Houston Texans 31-2 in a game in which Baltimore pulled its starters early in the fourth quarter. After Pittsburgh’s loss to Kansas City earlier in the day, Baltimore (11-5) now takes the lead in the AFC North race, while Houston (9-7) is unable to secure itself against a contender a week before the playoffs begin team to enforce.

The Ravens dominated from the start, jumping out with an opening touchdown and extending their lead to 17-2 before halftime. The Texans’ first possession of the second half ended in just three plays after a Kyle Hamilton interception, which Baltimore answered with a 48-yard Lamar Jackson touchdown run to put the game out of reach.

ACTION JACKSON TO THE HOUSE!!!

Turn on Netflix!! pic.twitter.com/9hSGxJ9YSe

– Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 25, 2024

Jackson had another strong day in the fight for his MVP award. Jackson was pulled back early in the fourth quarter and finished his afternoon 10 of 15 for 168 yards and two passing touchdowns, while adding 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on four rushing attempts. The 87-yard day helped Jackson set the all-time rushing record among NFL quarterbacks, passing Michael Vick with 6,109 rushing yards.

Baltimore’s defense was swarming with a vicious Texans offensive line. CJ Stroud was sacked five times, with the Ravens recording nine total QB hits. Stroud finished the day going 17-for-31 for 185 yards and one interception. The Texans’ only hit of the afternoon was a safety tackle on Henry.

The Ravens handle three games in 11 days perfectly and lead the AFC North

The Ravens returned from their bye week two games ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North and face a daunting three games in 11 days. Two of the games were against teams that had already secured a spot in the playoffs. Two of the games took place on the road.

Still, the Ravens won each of those games by multiple points. Their reward is a chance to win the AFC North on their home court with a win over the Cleveland Browns next weekend. The Ravens have always been able to measure their season by what they do in the playoffs, and that remains the case. However, they are gaining momentum at the most important time of the season. – Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer

Lamar Jackson is now the greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history

It always seemed to be a matter of when Lamar Jackson broke Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback, not if. Jackson had 87 rushing yards on four carries as of Wednesday and has 6,110 rushing yards for his career.

It took Vick 13 seasons to break through. Jackson did it in under seven years. Jackson has no interest in having so much attention paid to his abilities as a runner. However, reaching that mark in less than seven full seasons will deservedly garner a lot of attention. — Zrebiec

The Texans need to start showing more against the better teams in the league

Houston has already beaten the inferior AFC South and is on the verge of securing fourth place. However, more was expected from this Texas team this year. More was expected from Stroud this year. The Texans were outscored by the Ravens on both sides of the ball, continuing their recent inconsistency. The Texans have only beaten one team that is currently in the playoffs all year, and that was the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. It’s certainly possible that the Texans could get hot, but they’ve had most of the season didn’t exactly play like a legitimate competitor. — Zrebiec

Required reading

(Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)