If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Ravens this season, it’s that you should never turn off a game they’re in because there’s a good chance they’ll carve out a big lead.
For the second time in three weeks, the Ravens seemed to have clinched a win, and for the second time in three weeks they missed that win. In Week 2, the Ravens gambled away a 21-point lead over the Dolphins in the fourth quarter. This time, the Ravens gambled away a 17-point lead in a wild 23-20 loss to the Bills.
It’s hard to say which loss hurts more, but it could be the last one because of the way it went. With 4:16 left, the Ravens faced a fourth-and-goal at the Buffalo 2-yard line, and at that point they had a chance to attempt a field goal. However, John Harbaugh went for the touchdown and the decision ended in a big miss: Lamar Jackson threw an interception.
It was an interesting play call considering the Ravens offense had struggled for most of the second half. Also, before their fourth try, the Ravens hadn’t scored in their two games at the one-yard line and four-yard line.
Overall, the Ravens offense has drawn a vanishing act in the last two and a half quarters. After a 20-3 lead with 3:39 in the second quarter, Baltimore would not score another goal.
If Harbaugh had opted to kick the field goal, the Ravens would have held a 23-20 lead with about four minutes to go and while that doesn’t guarantee Baltimore would have won, you feel a lot better about your chances of winning, if you have the lead with less than four minutes to play.
“I felt like that gave us the best chance of winning the game,” said Harbaugh said after the game about his decision to try. “I was very confident that our defense could stop them down there with the ball at the 2-yard line, so we supported them when we didn’t get it.”
Unlike the loss to the Dolphins, there was definitely visible frustration with the Ravens towards the end of this game. Things got so bad that Marcus Peters actually went after Harbaugh to exchange words with him.
It’s easy to see why the Ravens were frustrated: Their offense collapsed in the second half and their defense couldn’t hold the Bills back in the last two quarters of the game.
Throughout their franchise history, the Ravens now have 101-5 in every game in which they have led by at least 17 points. The bad part is that two of those five losses have come in the past three weeks.
Okay, let’s move on to the grades for each week 4 game. If you’re looking for an in-depth look at Cincinnati’s 27-15 win over Miami on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Buffalo 23-20 over Baltimore
Bills Ravens Sheet Music by John Breech (Love Sheet Music? Hate Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 28-25 over New Orleans in London
Vikings Saints sheet music by John Breech (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 23-20 over Cleveland
Browns Falcons Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 25-10 over Washington
Commanders Cowboys Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 48-45 over Detroit
Seahawks Lions Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 24-17 over Indianapolis
Titans-Colts Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
LA Chargers 34-24 via Houston
Chargers-Texans Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Giants 20-12 over Chicago
Bears Giants Sheet Music by Jordan Dajani (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Jets 24-20 over Pittsburgh
Jets Steelers Sheet Music by Bryan DeArdo (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 29-21 over Jacksonville
Jaguars Eagles Sheet Music by Jeff Kerr (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Arizona 26-16 over Carolina
Cardinals Panthers Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Las Vegas 32-23 over Denver
Broncos Raiders Sheet Music by Jared Dubin (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Green Bay 27-24 over New England in OT
Patriots Packers Sheet Music by Tyler Sullivan (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 41-31 over Tampa Bay
Chiefs Buccaneers Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)