Ravens wrap up the AFC North with a 35-10 rout of Cleveland; Jackson surpasses 4,000 yards passing

BALTIMORE (AP) — The road to a division title was bumpy for the Baltimore Ravens, who started 0-2, faced a schedule packed with playoff teams and had to rally from a two-game deficit with four to play.

Having overcome all that, Lamar Jackson is looking ahead to the most important challenges of all — in the postseason.

“I'm focused on the wild-card game, I'm not going to lie to you,” Jackson said. “I'm cool with what's going on today. I'm cool, don't get me wrong, but my mind's on something else.”

Jackson threw two touchdown passes, and the Ravens won the AFC North for the second straight season, clinching the division with a 35-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.

Now the Ravens (12-5) will try to reach the Super Bowl for the first time with Jackson. They open the playoffs at home against either the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore was two games behind the Steelers in the division before closing with four consecutive victories.

Cleveland (3-14) ended a dreadful season with six straight losses. Both Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson took snaps at quarterback in the finale. Neither could move the ball much, and Zappe had an interception returned 26 yards for a touchdown by rookie Nate Wiggins for the game's first points.

The biggest concern coming out of this game for the Ravens was the health of Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, who left in the second quarter with a right knee injury.

Jackson threw TD passes to Mark Andrews in the second quarter and Rashod Bateman in the third, finishing a spectacular statistical season that might be good enough to earn him a third MVP award. Jackson finished the season with 4,172 yards passing, 41 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He became the first quarterback to reach 4,000 yards passing with 40 TD passes and four or fewer interceptions.

Jackson also finished the season with 915 yards rushing, becoming the first player to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800. His passer rating of 119.6 wasn't quite high enough to break the single-season record of 122.5 held by Aaron Rodgers.

Zappe threw for 170 yards with two interceptions. His 16-yard scoring pass to Jordan Akins made it 21-10 in the fourth, but the Ravens answered with 70-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry.

Henry, who turned 31 on Saturday, added a 43-yard scoring run late in the fourth. He finished the season with 1,921 yards rushing and a franchise-record 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Cleveland has now gone 28 consecutive games without allowing a 300-yard passer. Jackson finished 16 of 32 for 217 yards.

“I respect this game, these players do. It’s a privilege to play, it’s a privilege to coach,” said Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, whose team was a 20-point underdog shortly before kickoff according to BetMGM. “If they’re keeping score, we’re going to compete to the end.”

Cleveland's Myles Garrett entered the game tied for the NFL lead with 14 sacks, but although the Browns pressured Jackson at times, nobody could sack him. Garrett did have a tackle for loss.

Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, who also came into the day with 14, moved ahead of Garrett with an early sack in the Bengals' game against Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

“Lamar is a very difficult quarterback to sack, but Myles played the run and battled,” Stefanski said.

Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce, listed at a rotund 355 pounds, picked off a pass late in the fourth — his first interception in nine NFL seasons. He had some room to run but gave himself up with a fairly nimble slide before being mobbed by teammates.

“The most amazing play in NFL history right there,” coach John Harbaugh said.

Although the Ravens finished against the last-place Browns, Harbaugh said they should be well prepared for the postseason. In fact, unless Miami snags the final wild card, Baltimore will have already faced every other team in the AFC playoff field.

“Same level of competition that we’ve been playing against," Harbaugh said. "We’ve played all the teams in the playoffs.”

Cleveland DT Mike Hall Jr. was carted off with a knee injury in the third quarter. ... Browns CB Mike Ford Jr. injured his forearm. ... Cleveland CB Martin Emerson Jr. injured an ankle.

Baltimore's postseason opener could feature a coaching matchup between Harbaugh and his brother, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. Or perhaps a divisional clash between the Ravens and Steelers.

Cleveland can look ahead to the draft after the team's quarterback situation appeared as unstable as ever this season.

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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens (21) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews celebrates after making a catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates after catching a 7-yard touchdown pass Cleveland Browns' Mike Ford Jr. (31) and Mohamoud Diabate, right, stand by during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, right, scores past Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill (1) on a 43-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Four years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.

McDonald's is the latest big company to shift its tactics in the wake of the 2023 ruling and a conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others rolled back their DEI initiatives last year.

McDonald's said Monday it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and increase the number of minorities in their own leadership ranks.

McDonald's said it will also pause “external surveys." The Chicago burger giant didn't elaborate, but several other companies, including Lowe's and Ford Motor Co., suspended their participation in an annual survey by the Human Rights Campaign that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.

McDonald's rolled out a series of diversity initiatives in 2021 after a spate of sexual harassment lawsuits filed by employees and a lawsuit alleging discrimination by a group of Black former owners of McDonald's franchises.

“As a world-leading brand that considers inclusion one of our core values, we will accept nothing less than real, measurable progress in our efforts to lead with empathy, treat people with dignity and respect, and seek out diverse points of view to drive better decision-making,” McDonald's Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a LinkedIn post at the time.

But McDonald’s said Monday that the “shifting legal landscape” after the Supreme Court decision and the actions of other corporations caused it to take a hard look at its own policies.

In an open letter to employees and franchisees, McDonald's senior leadership team said it remained committed to inclusion and believes a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage. The company said 30% of its U.S. leaders are members of underrepresented groups, up from 29% in 2021. McDonald's previously committed to reaching 35% by the end of this year.

McDonald's said it has achieved one of the goals it announced in 2021: gender pay equity at all levels of the company. It also said it expected to achieve a goal of having 25% of total supplier spending go to diverse-owned businesses by the end of the year.

McDonald’s said it would continue to support efforts that ensure a diverse base of employees, suppliers and franchisees, but its diversity team will now be referred to as the Global Inclusion Team. The company said it would also continue to report its demographic information.

FILE - A McDonald's restaurant stands in Albany, Ore., April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)