HOUSTON -- After one of the worst games of his career in Saturday's 32-12 playoff loss to the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert took accountability for his struggles.

"I let the team down," he said. "... You can't turn the ball over like that and expect to win. ... I just have to be better."

It was an uncharacteristically lousy game from Herbert. He finished 14-of-32 passing (43.8%), the worst completion percentage in a playoff game by a Charger since Philip Rivers in 2006, and tied for third worst in franchise history (minimum 20 attempts). Herbert threw a league-low three interceptions during the regular season but had four against the Texans, making him the first player in NFL history to throw more picks in a playoff game than in the regular season (minimum 200 attempts).

Herbert's mistakes began in the second quarter. With 11:39 left and the Chargers leading 6-0 and in the red zone, he rolled to the right side of the field on play-action and threw the ball across his body to receiver Quentin Johnston on the left. But the pass was underthrown and intercepted by cornerback Kamari Lassiter.

Late in the third quarter, Herbert threw a ball too high for wide receiver Ladd McConkey that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by safety Eric Murray. It was Herbert's first pick-six since 2022.

His third interception came because of a drop by tight end Will Dissly, but his last later in the fourth quarter came on another underthrown ball to wide receiver DJ Chark, who had a step on cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

"I thought the guys outside did a great job fighting and getting open, and it's on me as a quarterback to be able to deliver the ball," Herbert said.

Coach Jim Harbaugh was quick to defend Herbert postgame, saying his QB played "like he always does -- a complete beast." Harbaugh added that the offensive line didn't protect Herbert well enough and that the Texans' edge pressure was the best his team had seen this season. Herbert was sacked four times and pressured on 50% of his dropbacks, according to TruMedia.

"He's got to be able to finish a throwing motion," Harbaugh said. "Quarterback's got to be able to do that, and we didn't put him in the position to do that enough."

Teammates also rushed to defend Herbert's performance after the loss.

"He's a damn good football player," center Bradley Bozeman said. "One of the best quarterbacks in the league. I was proud for him to be our quarterback this year. I wouldn't want anybody else."

Added safety Alohi Gilman: "He's gonna get slack for it because people are going to say X, Y and Z, but we know he's a great quarterback. I wouldn't change a thing. ... That's my guy. That's our quarterback."

And said guard Zion Johnson: "We know the type of guy he is. We know the type of quarterback, the type of leader he is."

Herbert is now 0-2 in the playoffs. In his first playoff appearance, two seasons ago against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chargers were on the wrong side of one of the most embarrassing losses in NFL history, blowing a 27-0 first-half lead in a 31-30 defeat.

Now, Herbert is on the wrong side of another humiliating loss.

"We'll just have to keep watching film and assess the play," he said when asked what it will take to have more postseason success. "Obviously, it was not good enough by any standards today, and I put the team into a jeopardy-type position with all the turnovers, so on me to get better and keep pushing forward."

DURHAM, N.C. -- Cooper Flagg cut across the court to catch an early kickout feed and knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing. Moments later, he was alone in the left corner and confidently had a catch-and-score for another 3.

No hesitation.

And no stopping until the 18-year-old accomplished something that no freshman had ever done in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

The 6-foot-9 Flagg scored 42 points to set a conference freshman single-game scoring record Saturday, helping fourth-ranked Duke beat Notre Dame 86-78. It was a performance that put the preseason Associated Press All-American alongside some prominent names in the history of the blue-blood program and its longtime league home.

"I was just out there playing," Flagg said as he sat at his locker afterward surrounded by reporters. "When I'm in the game, I don't really know what's going on. I'm just playing locked in."

Flagg had long been mentioned as a potential No. 1 NBA draft pick before leaving his home state of Maine and heading to Durham. His every move on the court had been dissected all season, from late-game turnovers in losses to No. 6 Kentucky and No. 11 Kansas to his strong play in a March-worthy matchup that handed No. 2 Auburn its only loss.

This week offered the perfect example. His coast-to-coast dunk in transition against Pittsburgh on Tuesday was a jaw-dropper and highlight-reel signature on an impressive win. This time, he was electric from start to finish, finishing with the highest scoring output by a Duke player at its famed Cameron Indoor Stadium home since 1976, and most by any Blue Devil since Danny Ferry's program-record 58 points at Miami in December 1988.

Before Saturday, Flagg's season high was 26 points.

"He's being himself," teammate Sion James said. "And that's the magic of Cooper Flagg, being himself. He's not forcing anything. He's just being a player, taking the looks as they come. He saw something he liked, and 42 points later, here we are."

Flagg made 11 of 14 shots in about 36 minutes, including 4 of 6 3-pointers to continue his recent improved long-range touch. He saw work as the primary ball handler and attacked the paint, taking advantage of mismatches to draw 13 fouls and get to the line 17 times (he made 16, a Duke freshman record) while Notre Dame had just 16 attempts as a team.

"It's a huge part of the game if you're able to get in the paint and get fouled," Flagg said, "so I was kind of able to get that going early and was kind of able to live in the paint tonight."

Flagg also had six rebounds and seven assists, including a high-low pass to 7-2 teammate Khaman Maluach for an alley-oop dunk on Duke's opening possession.

"They've got the right mix of guys with him," Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "If they had him and they didn't have shooting or they had people that needed the ball and were ball-dominant, then it probably wouldn't work. But they've done a good job evaluating and finding the right people to put around him, so it makes him a really tough matchup."

Flagg called it one of his more aggressive offensive performances from the start, partly due to getting those early clean looks to find a quick flow. As he pressed on, the fouls and contact kept coming -- enough so that Duke coach Jon Scheyer had his own rare eruption, this one of demonstrative fury.

It came after Flagg was called for a first-half offensive foul for pushing off on a drive against Notre Dame's Matt Allocco. As Allocco hit the floor, Scheyer practically ran from the sideline to the edge of the midcourt circle yelling "No way!" and shouting that Allocco had grabbed Flagg before waving emphatically in disgust as associate head coach Chris Carrawell tried to guide him back to the bench.

It marked only the second technical foul of Scheyer's three-year head coaching career, though he was focused on making a larger point.

"People are going to do things to try to make it easier to guard him," Scheyer said of Flagg. "And grabbing and holding is going to be something that's there. So it wasn't just one play isolated for me. It's just understanding that he does get hit.

"Again ... I have a ton of respect for those three officials, the officiating in our league. But I'm also going to advocate for our guys when I feel like something isn't being called the right way or respected."

By Saturday's horn, Flagg had surpassed the previous ACC freshman record of 41 points from Boston College's Olivier Hanlan against Georgia Tech in the 2013 ACC tournament. Only two other freshmen in league history, both from North Carolina, have reached the 40-point mark: Tyler Hansbrough (40) in February 2006 and Harrison Barnes (40) in the 2011 ACC tournament.

Flagg hit the 40-point mark on two free throws with 25.7 seconds left as Duke clung to an 80-76 lead after squandering most of an 18-point cushion. He broke the ACC record with two more free throws with 4.9 seconds left, after the "Cameron Crazies" had chanted his name as he walked to the line.

So how does a teenage basketball prodigy celebrate history? His plans didn't sound nearly so memorable.

"Probably just going to hang out with my teammates, have a chill night," Flagg said. "There's a lot of good basketball games on tonight."

HOUSTON -- Coach DeMeco Ryans said his defense "dominated" against the Los Angeles Chargers as the unit carried the Houston Texans to a 32-12 wild-card win.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert finished the regular season with only three interceptions, but the Texans intercepted him a career-high four times, returning one for a touchdown.

"Our defense, they dominated today," Ryans said. "That's who we want to be. They played our brand of football. They stopped the run first. That's what I'm most proud of is how we stop the run. And when we stop the run, you make a team one-dimensional, and that's when our defensive line just causes havoc."

The Texans became the fifth team to record four interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown and four sacks in a playoff game since sacks were first tracked in 1963, according to ESPN Research.

The last three teams to accomplish that feat in the playoffs were the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2000 Baltimore Ravens and 1989 San Francisco 49ers, who all went on to win the Super Bowl.

"Just playing together, playing complementary football," defensive end Will Anderson said. "Rush and cover, tying in together. We were just being tight with our rush. They were sticky in coverage, and we were just able to make some plays, get some turnovers and take the ball away."

Herbert was the first player in NFL history with at least 200 pass attempts to have more interceptions in a playoff game than in the regular season. The Texans pressured Herbert on 50% of his dropbacks as he went 3-for-14 for 112 yards with one touchdown and an interception under duress, according to Next Gen Stats.

The pressure from defensive end Derek Barnett with 21 seconds left in the third quarter led to the biggest play of the afternoon. It forced Herbert's throw to wideout Ladd McConkey to sail, and safety Eric Murray intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown to put Houston up 20-6.

"Just trying to be patient," Murray told ESPN. "Take away the deep throw and make him throw short. That's what you want to do. Make him throw short. You either hit him or the ball goes through his hands and ends up yours."

To close the game out in the fourth quarter, All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley intercepted Herbert on a short and deep pass.

The defense allowed a field goal on the Chargers' first two drives then stiffened up to buy the Texans' offense time as it struggled for the first five possessions -- producing three punts, an interception and a lost fumble. Their sixth possession, which started on the 1-yard line, ended in the end zone and was sparked by an improbable play.

After gaining one first down, the Texans faced a 3-and-16 with 2:24 remaining in the first half trailing 6-0. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud fumbled the snap before rolling right and firing a dart to wideout Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard completion. The Texans' drive ended with a Stroud 13-yard touchdown pass to wideout Nico Collins to put the Texans up 7-6.

"The play that he made on the fumbled snap and throw to Hutchinson, that's the play that just sparked our entire team," Ryans said. "Seeing the way all of our guys responded after he made the play....Just outstanding performance by C.J."

Stroud said he was "mad" at himself for even dropping the snap but saw the jolt it provided his team, and he got hyped afterwards.

"I'm trying to see the defense, and it went through my hands," Stroud said. "Luckily it bounced right back up to me. I tried to save the play. [Hutchinson] did a good job. After we made the completion, I looked at the sidelines, everybody was turned up. So that turned me up because I was still kind of mad at myself. But yeah, those are the types of plays that change momentum."

The Texans went on a 32-6 run following the highlight play. Stroud finished the day 22-of-33 for 282 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But he had a staggering difference in production after the improbable completion as he was 9-of-16 for 83 yards with an interception prior to that play but went 13-for-17 for 199 yards with a touchdown afterward.

The quarterback-coach pairing of Stroud and Ryans became the third duo to win a playoff game in their first two seasons, joining Rex Ryan-Mark Sanchez and John Harbaugh-Joe Flacco.

BALTIMORE -- Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdowns in a flawless first half, Derrick Henry scored twice while leading Baltimore's devastating running game, and the Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the AFC playoffs.

The Ravens move on to face either Buffalo or Houston after jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead and holding on against their AFC North rivals. Baltimore had a 19-2 advantage in first downs in the first half, when the Ravens produced touchdown drives of 95, 85 and 90 yards,

Henry ran for 186 yards, and Baltimore outrushed the Steelers 299-29. It was the most yards rushing allowed by Pittsburgh in a playoff game, breaking the mark of 232 set by the Oakland Raiders 51 years ago.

Jackson, the two-time MVP still seeking a postseason breakthrough, made it clear from the start he was going to make Pittsburgh (10-8) defend his arm and his legs. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to advance the ball methodically against a Steelers team that has relied heavily this season on forcing turnovers.

Pittsburgh's season ends with five straight losses, two of which came in Baltimore. The ending was a familiar story for the Steelers, who have lost six consecutive playoff games. The last three times they've been in the postseason, they've fallen on the road in games that have exemplified the gap between Pittsburgh and the conference's true contenders.

The Ravens had 10 touchdown drives of at least 90 yards in the regular season, the most by a team since at least 2000. The Ravens started at their own 5 on their first possession and drove 13 plays for a touchdown.

The Steelers have made a habit recently of winning tight games against the Ravens, capitalizing on Baltimore's mistakes. The Ravens avoided that problem Saturday, taking few major risks.

They got creative on the first drive, lining up Henry for a direct snap from center while Jackson came across and faked a sweep. Henry kept the ball for a 34-yard gain. Jackson capped the possession with a 15-yard scoring strike to Rashod Bateman, who was Baltimore's top healthy receiver with Zay Flowers (knee) unavailable.

Jackson went 16-of-21 for 175 yards and rushed for 81.

Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 left in the half. After a Pittsburgh punt, the Steelers called timeout on third-and-2 from the Baltimore 18, hoping to get the ball back, but the Ravens converted and then quickly moved into position to score.

On second down from the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly used up the remaining time while scrambling around, but he eventually dumped the ball to an open Justice Hill, who went into the end zone with two seconds left.

The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown on their first second-half possession, with Russell Wilson throwing a 30-yard scoring pass to Van Jefferson. Baltimore quickly answered when Henry broke free up the middle for a 44-yard TD -- Pittsburgh defenders were caught out of position because Jackson faked a run to the left after handing off the ball.

Wilson answered with a 36-yard touchdown strike to George Pickens in the third, but that was it for the scoring. Wilson went 20-of-29 for 270 yards on a night when neither team turned the ball over.

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens said all week that they signed Derrick Henry for this time of the season -- and the Pro Bowl running back showed why in Saturday's wild-card game.

On a cold winter night in the postseason, Henry set a Ravens playoff record by running for 186 yards and two touchdowns as Baltimore beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium. Along with quarterback Lamar Jackson's 82 rushing yards, the Ravens totaled 298 yards rushing, which also established a franchise postseason mark.

The Ravens advanced to the divisional round for the third time in five years. If the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Baltimore will play at Buffalo next weekend. If the Bills get upset at home, the Ravens will play host to the Houston Texans.

Jackson was without his No. 1 target in wide receiver Zay Flowers, who was out because of a knee injury, but Baltimore still had Henry. In his first season with Baltimore, Henry has proven his game wasn't in decline despite his age. At 31 years, 7 days old, Henry is the third-oldest player in NFL history to record 150 rushing yards in a playoff game, according to ESPN Research.

This was an emotional win against the Ravens' biggest AFC North rival. Baltimore beat Pittsburgh in consecutive meetings for the first time since 2019.

Here's what to know for both teams:

Baltimore Ravens (13-5)

Promising trend: For the first time in the postseason, Jackson led a touchdown drive on the opening possession -- and it was a marathon. The Ravens' 95-yard series was the second-longest opening touchdown drive in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Research. Jackson capped the 13-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashod Bateman. The Ravens were 8-0 in regular-season games when Bateman scored a touchdown.

Eye-popping stat: Henry reached a top speed of 20.6 mph on his 44-yard score, his longest touchdown run in the playoffs. It was Henry's second touchdown run this season when he reached at least 20 mph, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Only Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has more rushing touchdowns (seven) when he exceeded 20 mph.

Most surprising performance: Jackson running the ball. In a regular season when he ran the ball less, Jackson took advantage of the Steelers' aggression when they tried to stop the running backs on Baltimore's run options and made them pay. Jackson produced 82 rushing yards on 14 carries, his most since October. With 603 yards rushing in the playoffs, he surpassed Steve Young for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL postseason history. -- Jamison Hensley

Next game: at Bills or vs. Texans

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-8)

The rosters, opponents and location changed, but the results stayed the same.

For the fifth time since 2017, the Steelers, despite remaking their quarterback room in the offseason and boasting one of the league's highest-paid defenses, exited the playoffs after one game, this time in an uninspired 28-14 loss to the Ravens.

With the defeat, the Steelers ended the 2024 season on a five-game losing streak after starting the season 10-3. Pittsburgh never led in any of those five losses.

In an all-too-familiar story Saturday night, the Steelers were thoroughly overpowered in the first half of a playoff game. Then, they had a burst of hope followed by a rally that came up short.

In the Steelers' once-sterling playoff history, their 21-point halftime deficit ranks second only to the 25-point deficit they faced against the Cleveland Browns in the 2020 wild-card loss.

The Steelers mustered 14 points in the third quarter to twice cut the Raven's lead to 14, but they never got closer.

With 80 wins in the past eight seasons, the Steelers have the most regular-season wins in an eight-year stretch without a playoff victory in NFL history.

Pivotal play: Facing 4th-and-inches in the second quarter, coach Mike Tomlin opted to punt the ball back to the league's MVP front-runner rather than trust his offense to gain minimal distance. As a result, the NFL's highest-paid defense gave up a 13-play, 85-yard drive -- all rushes -- capped by an 8-yard Henry touchdown to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Not accounting for Jackson's read-option rushes. After giving up 167 yards to Henry in Week 16, the Steelers were adamant that stopping the running back was their top priority this time. Not only did they not do that, but they also couldn't stop Jackson's read-option carries. The Ravens' duo combined for 164 rushing yards in the first half, and Jackson had 75 yards before contact on his 13 carries, per ESPN Research. As a team, the Ravens racked up 131 rushing yards before contact in the first half.

Troubling trend: Slow starts. One of only a handful of teams not to score a touchdown on their opening drive this season, the Steelers continued their frustrating trend of slow starts. Trailing 21-0 at halftime Saturday night, Pittsburgh was outscored 81-37 and outgained 1,032-565 in the first halves of its past five losses. Perhaps even more troubling is the same pattern carried through in the Steelers' past six playoff losses. Including Saturday night, the team has been outscored by a combined 96 points and outgained by 641 yards dating to the 2016 AFC Championship loss against the New England Patriots. -- Brooke Pryor