The Baltimore Ravens picked up their first win of the season — but just barely.
The Ravens escaped with a 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys, in a game that saw the Cowboys nearly erase a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Ultimately, however, Lamar Jackson secured the win for the Ravens with a tricky fake hand-off and a run for a game-clinching first down.
As a result, the Ravens have climbed in The Sporting News Week 4 NFL Power Rankings — again, just barely.
The Ravens come in at eighth, up one spot from last week, with Vinnie Iyer writing:
"The Ravens took it to the Cowboys with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the running game, and they had enough defense to avoid blowing another late lead in Dallas. They are slowly rounding into their 2023 form."
The Ravens can reasonably convince themselves that they are a few plays away from being 3-0. They were a toe away from tying or beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, and they blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2. They are a few mistakes from being viewed as one of the NFL's serious Super Bowl contenders.
Of course, they were also a few plays away in Dallas from being 0-3. The Ravens seem to want time to speed up when they hold a fourth-quarter lead, and penalties, a botched onside kick recovery, and an ugly 3-and-out nearly cost them against the Cowboys.
The Ravens are certainly a good team, but they'll need a complete effort to get into the very top of the power rankings next week.
More Ravens news:
Derrick Henry's $240,000 body maintenance plan is already paying off
Lamar Jackson defends embattled Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman
Benched Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman responds to John Harbaugh's blunt assessment
