Jackson steers Ravens to play-off win over Texans

Lamar Jackson registered just the second play-off win of his career as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 34-10 to reach the Conference Championships.

Jackson was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player for the 2019 season and is expected to win the award for a second time after leading Baltimore to the league's best record in the regular season (13-4).

The 27-year-old quarterback had struggled to carry that form into the post-season, winning just one of his four previous play-off games.

Baltimore earned a first-round bye last week and were tested by Houston, the fourth seed in the AFC Conference, with the game tied 10-10 at half-time.

But Jackson threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Ravens moved within one win of Super Bowl 58.

Baltimore's poor post-season record had stretched to before they drafted Jackson in 2018, winning just two of their seven play-off games after beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47.

Jackson was briefly the NFL's highest-paid player after being handed a new five-year contract last April and after another impressive regular season, the pressure was on the Ravens and long-serving coach John Harbaugh to finally deliver again in the play-offs.

Defences were on top in the first half, as the two teams exchanged field goals in the first quarter, before Jackson made a three-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor.

Houston, the fourth seed in the AFC Conference after a much-improved 10-7 season, forced the Ravens to punt on their next possession and Steven Sims got them back into the game by returning the kick for a 67-yard touchdown.

But the Ravens came out for the third quarter with renewed urgency, Jackson bursting down the middle for a 15-yard touchdown inside three minutes.

Baltimore then booked a spot in next Sunday's AFC Championship Game as Jackson lofted a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely at the start of the fourth quarter before rushing for an eight-yard score.