New Zealand leads England by 340 runs in the 3rd test as Henry and O'Rourke shine

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand showed off its presumptive new ball attack as it took control of the third test against England on the second day Sunday.

Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke shared seven wickets as New Zealand bowled out England for 143 in a session and a half to take a 205-run first innings lead.

O’Rourke then had to bat for the second time in the day as nightwatchman when Will Young was out for 60 within 20 minutes of the close. He couldn’t last to stumps at which New Zealand was 136-3, having increased its lead to 340.

Kane Williamson completed his 38th half century just before the close and was 50 not and Rachin Ravindra was 2.

Henry and O’Rourke likely will become New Zealand’s new ball attack when Tim Southee retires at the end of this, his 107th test. They previewed that partnership Sunday as Henry took 4-48 and O’Rourke took 3-33 in an outstanding New Zealand bowling performance.

Left-armer spinner Mitchell Santner took 3-7 including the wickets of Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes after leading a defiant last wicket stand with O’Rourke which occupied the first hour of the day until New Zealand’s last wicket fell at 347.

O’Rourke, a classic No. 11 with only 13 runs in nine tests at a strike rate of eight, gave Santner stalwart support in a partnership with frustrated England for 77 minutes at the end of the first day and the start of the second.

Santner reached his fourth half century with a six from the last ball of the first day. He carried on, taking the majority of the strike, before being bowled by Matthew Potts with the first ball after the morning drinks break.

O’Rourke faced 30 deliveries and was five not out, having taken 25 balls to get off the mark and having hit his first boundary in international cricket, a leg glance from the bowling of Gus Atkinson.

The duration of the partnership between Santner and O’Rourke was enough to cause England discomfort as it lifted New Zealand from 303-9 to 315-9 at stumps Saturday and on to 347.

O’Rourke went on to play a key role as New Zealand dismantled England’s first innings in 35.5 overs. He bowled at pace and found disconcerting bounce on a drying second day wicket at Seddon Park.

O’Rourke took the wickets of Jacob Bethell (12) and Harry Brook (0) with consecutive deliveries, then removed Joe Root (32) in his next over.

He first worked over Bethell with a series of short balls then offered him a full ball wide of off stump which Bethell sliced to Glenn Phillips in the gully.

He then produced a 148 kilometer (93mph) ball to Brook which the batter could only fend onto his own stumps. Brook has been New Zealand’s nemesis in this series, scoring 171 in the first test and 123 in the second, on both occassions rescuing England from poor starts.

Finally, he cramped Root with a short, fast ball which the batter tried to cut but only spar to Young in the gully. England was 82-5.

England has an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first test by eight wickets and the second by 323 runs.

The England innings had began with an extraordinary onslaught from Zak Crawley who hit 16 runs from the second over, then was out when England was 32. He had hit 21 from 14 balls with five fours.

Crawley has struggled in this series with scores of 0, 1, 17 and 8 and Sunday’s opening partnership was England’s largest of the series after previous stands of 12, 9, 9 and 1.

Henry dived to take a catch at grasstop height from his own bowling to dismiss Crawley in the fifth over of England’s innings, then trapped Ben Duckett (11) lbw four balls later.

After O’Rourke’s triple strike, Santer removed Pope (24) and Stokes (27) in consecutive overs. He undid Pope with turn and bounce, causing him to edge to first slip, then trapped Stokes lbw as he knelt to sweep.

Henry returned to dismiss Gus Atkinson (4) and England crumbled to be all out four short of the follow-on which New Zealand didn’t enforce.

New Zealand lost Tom Latham early in its second innings for 19 by Young and Williamson added 89 for the second wicket. Young remains without a century in 20 tests.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England captain Ben Stokes reacts during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Bruce Lim/Photosport via AP)

England's Joe Root bats during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

England's Joe Root bats during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand players celebrate the wicket of England's Joe Root during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

England's Ollie Pope bats during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

England's Ollie Pope bats during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

England captain Ben Stokes reacts while batting during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand bowler Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry, right, celebrate the wicket of England's Ollie Pope during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand bowler Will O'Rourke celebrates the wicket of England batsman Joe Root, left, during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Bruce Lim/Photosport via AP)

England's Zak Crawley reacts as he walks from the field after he was dismissed during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand bowler Matt Henry celebrates the wicket of England's Ben Duckett, right, during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand's Matt Henry takes a catch off his own bowling to dismiss England's Zak Crawley during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

England's Gus Atkinson kicks at the ball during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner bats during play on day two of the third cricket test between England and New Zealand in Hamilton, New Zealand, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lamar Jackson thought it was over. That the Baltimore Ravens' unwieldy season would end up in a familiar spot: the playoffs.

Then, rookie kicker Tyler Loop's potential game-winning field goal from 44 yards out drifted a little right. And then a little further right. And then a little further right still.

By the time it fluttered well wide of the goalposts, the playoffs were gone. So was Jackson's certainty after a 26-24 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night sent the Ravens into what could be a turbulent offseason.

“I'm definitely stunned, man,” Jackson said. “I thought we had it in the bag. ... I don't know what else we can do.”

Jackson, who never really seemed fully healthy during his eighth season as he battled one thing after another, did his part. The two-time NFL MVP passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns, including two long connections with Zay Flowers in the fourth quarter that put the Ravens (8-9) in front.

It just wasn't enough. Baltimore's defense, which played most of the second half without star safety Kyle Hamilton after Hamilton entered the concussion protocol, wilted against 42-year-old Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers passed for a season-high 294 yards, including a 26-yard flip to a wide-open Calvin Austin with 55 seconds to go after a defender slipped, symbolic of a season in which Baltimore's defense only occasionally found its form.

Still, the Ravens had a chance when Jackson found Isaiah Likely for a 28-yard gain on fourth down from midfield. A couple of snaps later, the 24-year-old Loop walked on to try to lift Baltimore to its third straight division title.

Instead, the rookie said he “mishit” it. Whatever it was, it never threatened to sneak between the goalposts.

“It’s disappointing,” Loop said.

Loop was talking about the game. He might as well have been talking about his team's season.

The Ravens began 1-5 as Jackson dealt with injuries and the defense struggled to get stops. Baltimore found a way to briefly tie the Steelers for first in late November, only to then split its next four games, including a home loss to Pittsburgh.

Still, when Jackson and the Ravens walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf on Sunday night in the 272nd and final game of the NFL regular season, Baltimore was confident. The Ravens drilled Pittsburgh in the opening round of the playoffs a year ago behind the ever-churning legs of running back Derrick Henry.

When Henry ripped off a gain of 40-plus yards on the game's first offensive snap, it looked like it was going to be more of the same. While Henry did rush for 126 yards and joined Hall of Famer Barry Sanders as the only running backs in NFL history to have five 1,500-yard seasons, he was less effective in the second half.

Even that first run was telling of what night it was going to be, as an illegal block by wide receiver Zay Flowers cost Baltimore some field position. The Ravens ended up scoring on the drive anyway, thanks to a 38-yard fourth-down flip from Jackson to a wide-open Devontez Walker, but it started a pattern that was hard to shake as several steps forward were met with one step back on a night the Ravens finished with nine penalties for 78 yards.

“We were having a lot of penalties, which kept stopping drives," Jackson said. “But I'm proud of my guys because we kept overcoming. We kept overcoming adversity and situations like this. Divisional games (can) be like that sometimes.”

Particularly when the Steelers are on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Pittsburgh has won 10 of the last 13 meetings. And while a handful of them have been in late-season matchups with the Ravens already assured of reaching the playoffs, the reality is the Steelers have been able to regularly do something that most others have not: found a way to beat Jackson.

“It comes down to situations like this,” Jackson said. “Two-point conversion one year. Field goal another year. And again this year. Just got to find a way to get that win here.”

And figure out who is going to be around to help get it.

Head coach John Harbaugh's 18th season in Baltimore ended with the Ravens missing the playoffs for just the second time in eight years. Jackson turns 29 this week and is still one of the most electric players in the league.

Yet Harbaugh and Jackson have yet to find a way to have that breakthrough season that Harbaugh enjoyed with Joe Flacco in 2013 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.

There was hope when the season began that the roadblocks that have long been in the franchise's way — Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes chief among them — would be gone.

While the Ravens did get their way in a sense — the Chiefs will watch the playoffs from afar for the first time in a decade after a nightmarish season of their own — it never all came together.

Jackson declined to endorse Harbaugh returning for a 19th season, saying the loss was still too fresh to zoom out on what it might mean for the franchise going forward.

Harbaugh, for his part, certainly seems up for running it back in the fall.

“I love these guys,” he said afterward. “I love these guys.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, right, hands the ball off to running back Derrick Henry (22) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with an offical during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, left, greets Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jabrill Peppers (40) reacts after Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop (33) missed a field goal attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)