NFL Week 4 grades: Ravens get ‘D’ for blowing big lead vs. Bills, Cowboys earn ‘A-‘ for crushing Commanders

If we’ve learned one thing about the Ravens this season, it’s that you should never turn off any game they’re playing in because there’s a good chance they’re going to blow a big lead. 

For the second time in three weeks, the Ravens looked to have 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 around, the Ravens blew a 17-point lead in a wild 23-20 loss to the Bills. 

It’s hard to say which loss stings more, but it might be the latest one because of how it went down. With 4:16 left to play, the Ravens were facing a fourth-and-goal at Buffalo’s 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 had struggled for most of the second half. Also, the Ravens had failed to score on the one-yard line and the four-yard line on the two plays prior to their fourth-down attempt. 

Overall, 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 wouldn’t score again. 

If Harbaugh had chosen to kick the field goal, then the Ravens would have held a 23-20 lead with roughly four minutes left and although that doesn’t guarantee that Baltimore would have won, you feel a lot better about your chances of winning if you have the lead with under four minutes left 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 game’s final two quarters. 

Over the course of their franchise history, the Ravens are now 101-5 in any game where they’ve led by at least 17 points. The ugly part is that two of those five losses have come over the past three weeks. 

Alright, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 4. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on 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

Commanders-Cowboys grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Seattle 48-45 over Detroit

Seahawks-Lions grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Tennessee 24-17 over Indianapolis

Titans-Colts grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

L.A. Chargers 34-24 over Houston

Chargers-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

N.Y. Giants 20-12 over Chicago

Bears-Giants grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

N.Y. Jets 24-20 over Pittsburgh

Jets-Steelers grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Philadelphia 29-21 over Jacksonville

Jaguars-Eagles grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)