If we’ve learned one thing about the Crows this season, it is that you should never turn off any game they play because there is a good chance that they will blow a big lead.
For the second time in three weeks, the Ravens looked like they had a win wrapped up, and for the second time in three weeks, they let that win slip away. In Week 2, the Ravens blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins. This time, the Ravens blew a 17-point lead in a wild 23-20 loss to the Invoices.
It’s hard to say which loss stings more, but it might be the latest because of how it went down. With 4:16 left to play, the Ravens faced 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 decided to go for the touchdown and the decision ended up backfiring in a big way: Lamar Jackson threw an interception.
It was an interesting play call considering the Ravens offense struggled for most of the second half. Also, the Ravens did not score on the one-yard line and the four-yard line in the two games prior to their fourth-down attempt.
All in all, the Ravens offense pulled a disappearing act over the final two and a half quarters. After taking a 20-3 lead with 3:39 left in the second quarter, Baltimore would not score again.
If Harbaugh had elected to kick the field goal, then the Ravens would have held a 23-20 lead with about four minutes left 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 go to play
“I felt like it gave us the best chance to win the game,” Harbaugh said following the game about his decision to go for it. “I was very confident in our defense’s ability to stop them down there with the ball at the 2-yard line, so we have them backed up if we don’t get it.”
Unlike the loss to the Dolphins, there was definitely some visible frustration from the Ravens late in this game. Things got so bad that Marcus Peters actually went after Harbaugh to exchange words with him.
It’s easy to understand why the Ravens were frustrated: Their offense fell apart in the second half and their defense couldn’t stop the Bills over the final two quarters of the game.
During their franchise history, the Ravens are now 101-5 in any game where they have led by at least 17 points. The ugly part is that two of those five losses have come over the last three weeks.
OK, let’s get to the notes for each game from Week 4. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into Cincinnati’s 27-15 win over Miami that was played on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Buffalo 23-20 over Baltimore
Bills-Ravens grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 28-25 over New Orleans in London
Vikings-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 23-20 over Cleveland
Browns-Falcons grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 25-10 over Washington
Commander Cowboys grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 48-45 over Detroit
Seahawks-Lions notes by John Breech (Love the notes? Hate the notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 24-17 over Indianapolis
John Breech’s Titans-Colts grades (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
THE Chargers 34-24 over Houston
Chargers-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Giants 20-12 over Chicago
Bears-Giants notes by Jordan Dajani (Love the notes? Hate the notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Jets 24-20 over Pittsburgh
Bryan DeArdo’s Jets-Steelers grades (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 29-21 over Jacksonville
Jeff Kerr’s Jaguars-Eagles grades (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Arizona 26-16 over Carolina
John Breech’s Cardinals-Panthers grades (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Las Vegas 32-23 over Denver
Jared Dubin’s Broncos-Raiders grades (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Green Bay 27-24 over New England in Ot
Tyler Sullivan’s Patriots-Packers grades (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 41-31 over Tampa Bay
Chiefs-Buccaneers Qualifiers by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 24-9 over LA Rams
Rams-49ers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
