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.
