News

It’s a game of inches, and the Ravens came up just short.

Two game-changing plays went against Baltimore in a 16-10 loss to the Redskins Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

The ball slipped out of linebacker C.J. Mosley's hand as he stretched for what could have been a game-changing pick-six in the third quarter. Instead of a touchdown, the ball rolled out of bounds through the end zone, causing a touchback and giving the Redskins the ball right back.

Then wide receiver Breshad Perriman’s second foot landed out of bounds at the end of what was originally ruled a 23-yard touchdown, which would have tied the ball game with a chance to win on an extra point.

The Ravens are now 3-2 after losing back-to-back games at home.

The offense continued to struggle mightily throughout much of the game and failed to come up with the comeback drive to win the game for the second consecutive week. Quarterback Joe Flacco’s last pass from Washington’s 21-yard line went off the hands of receiver Mike Wallace, who took a massive hit.

After cruising down the field for a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, Baltimore’s offense struggled the rest of the day with just 306 total yards against Washington’s 29^th-ranked defense.

Trailing by six points in the fourth quarter, Baltimore’s offense went nowhere until the final drive of the game. The unit was shut out in the second half. A failed fake field goal in the second quarter loomed large, as the Ravens would have needed just a field goal to tie at the end instead of a touchdown to win.

The defense shut the Redskins out over the first half, but the special teams punt coverage lapsed again, allowing an 85-yard touchdown in the first quarter to keep the Redskins in the game that the Ravens were otherwise controlling early.

Impact Plays

• A 35-yard gain by running back Terrance West on third-and-1 (the longest run of the season) set up a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Crockett Gillmore on the game’s opening drive. It’s the first touchdown the Ravens have scored on their opening drive this season.
• Baltimore’s punt coverage unit continued to be a problem. In the first quarter, the unit gave up an 85-yard touchdown to returner Jamison Crowder, who burst down the middle of the field and through a missed tackle. It was the second-longest punt return ever against the Ravens, 1 yard shy of the record in 1999. Washington missed the extra point, leaving the Ravens ahead, 7-6.
• Inside linebacker Zachary Orr planted Washington running back Matt Jones in the backfield, then recovered the fumble himself, setting the Ravens up at the Redskins’ 15-yard line. The Ravens got no points out of it, however, after a fake field goal failed. Gillmore stumbled going out for the pass and Tucker’s pass was too short and broken up. The Ravens defense stuffed the Redskins on fourth down when they were in field-goal range, keeping the score at 10-6 at halftime.
• Given a short field on leaky punt coverage again, the Redskins offense got moving for the first time in the third quarter. Washington drove into Ravens territory, and this time finished with a 21-yard touchdown pass to take a 13-10 lead about midway through the third quarter.
• Later in the third quarter, Mosley intercepted quarterback Kirk Cousins and had a path to the end zone, but the ball slipped out of his hand as he reached out at the 1-yard line. The ball went out of bounds in the end zone, giving the Redskins the ball at the 20-yard line. The Redskins actually gained a net of 17 yards on the wacky play and went down the field for a 37-yard field goal to take a 16-10 lead.

Standout Player Of The Game

RB Terrance West
West had another strong game, rushing 11 times for 95 yards. He ran the ball six times after gaining 60 yards in the first quarter.

On The Horizon
The Ravens will stay in the NFC East against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium next Sunday.