Baltimore Keep Playoff Hopes Alive Behind Derrick Henry's Four-Touchdown Performance, Houston Secure Postseason Spot

Derrick Henry ran for a year-best 216 yards and equaled a personal best with four TDs on the ground as the Baltimore Ravens remained in the postseason hunt by toppling the Packers by a score of 41-24 on Saturday evening.

The powerful back had three scores in the first half and then scored again on a 25-yard dash with 1:56 left in the game. His seventh career 200-yard game surpassed Adrian Peterson and OJ Simpson for the most in league history.

His 36 carries marked a personal record.

The Baltimore Ravens, now 8-8 now must hope the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers lose at the Browns on Sunday. A Steelers victory in Cleveland would extinguish Baltimore’s playoff hopes. If the Browns win that game, the could win the division title by defeating the Pittsburgh on the road next week.

The Packers, falling to 9-6-1 lost their third straight, enabling the Chicago Bears to clinch the division crown. The Packers had previously secured a playoff berth earlier in the week.

Both squads were without their starting quarterbacks as Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson deals with a back injury while Green Bay’s Jordan Love is in the concussion protocol. The two backup quarterbacks – Tyler Huntley and Malik Willis – were both effective in a game that featured only one punt.

The Packers' fill-in went 18 of 21 for a personal-best 288 passing yards and a TD pass, and he also ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns before exiting after re-injuring a shoulder injury. The Ravens' backup was 16-for-20 for 107 yards with one touchdown.

The deciding factor in the game was the Packers' failure to stop Derrick Henry, who helped the Ravens outgain on the ground the Packers by a wide margin.

Henry didn’t touch the ball in Baltimore’s last two possessions the week before in a costly loss. The proven rusher's absence in the final period was a hot topic locally all week.

The coaching staff made sure he touched the rock frequently from the outset. His powerful running allowed the Ravens to put points on the board on their initial five drives and build a 13-point lead at the break.

He totaled 15 rushes in the team's opening two drives and capped each of them with touchdown runs. He added a further short TD run just before the second quarter ended.

Green Bay got back into the game by outplaying the Ravens ten to nothing in the third period.

After a field goal, the defense elicited the first punt of the night. Willis then ran for an 11-yard score to cut the deficit to 27-24.

But the Ravens responded on their next series.

The workhorse back ran for a crucial first down on a third down play. He closed the period with a 30-yard burst. Those key runs set up a scoring strike from the quarterback to Zay Flowers.

The Packers' quarterback led the offense into Ravens' land before hurting his shoulder and heading to the sideline. His backup threw an interception on his first attempt.

Texans Secure Postseason Berth After Victory Over Los Angeles

The Texans' quarterback connected on a pair of deep scores on the team's first two drives, and the Texans went on to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 on Saturday to clinch a third straight postseason appearance.

The Houston Texans, now 11-5 extended their winning streak to eight games, their longest such streak in several seasons.

The Los Angeles Chargers, also 11-5 had their positive run ended and ceded the AFC West title to their rivals.

Stroud’s two explosive TDs shocked the Chargers and gave Houston a two-score advantage. On his initial throw of the game, he found a receiver for a 75-yard score. He later tossed a deep scoring pass on the following possession.

He connected on his first six attempts of the game. He finished with 244 passing yards.

Houston’s defense forced key sacks on the opponent's first two possessions. The Chargers were held to quick punts on three of their first four possessions.

The Chargers' quarterback, competing with a broken hand, was sacked five times.

An early pick of Stroud in the second quarter only resulted in a three points for the offense. Another interception failed to produce any points.

The Chargers were stopped on the goal line by a key defensive play. The intended receiver saw the ball bounce away, leading to the turnover.

The Chargers' kicker missed a kick from short range just before halftime and later pushed wide an extra point on the last possession after a late touchdown.

The Houston specialist made kicks from beyond 40 yards to contribute to the win.