The Ravens never thought they'd be winless after their home debut.
That's their reality, however, after a 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders that dropped Baltimore to 0-2 for the first time since 2015.
After leading by 10 points twice in the second half, the Ravens didn't finish the job and were finished by Daniel Carlson's 38-yard field goal with 36 seconds to play.
Here are my five thoughts on the Ravens' loss:
This loss feels worse than Week 1.
In Week 1, the Ravens narrowly lost a thrilling game on the road against the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
This loss feels different, and more concerning. Baltimore was the NFL's biggest favorite this weekend according to oddsmakers. The Raiders (1-1) were coming off an uninspiring loss to the Chargers and the Ravens entered the game 13-3 in home openers under Head Coach John Harbaugh.
When Baltimore took a 23-13 lead on Derrick Henry's 3-yard touchdown run with 12:17 left to play, the stadium was rocking and a Ravens loss seemed improbable. However, what looked like a sure thing became a disappointing defeat.
The Ravens heard a lot about how well they played in Kansas City. Now they'll hear plenty of criticism and can't change the narrative until they meet the Dallas Cowboys, in a Week 3 road game that Baltimore desperately needs to win.
"We will be defined by the next 15 games," Harbaugh said. "That's going to be our objective – to play the best 15 games we can, be the best football team we can be, and if we do that, then we're going to have a really good season, have a shot to win a lot of games and get in the playoffs and make a run, so that's what we have to do.
"We're not going to be defined by everyone that's saying we're not any good, that the season is over after two games. That's what's going to be said, and we understand that, but they're not here; they're not inside. No one inside is going to say that. We're going to go keep getting better … and define the season by the way we play."
Penalties are killing Baltimore.
The Ravens were penalized 11 times for 109 yards, compared to three penalties for 15 yards against the Raiders. Some of the calls against Baltimore were questionable, like the pass interference penalty called against Brandon Stephens on Davante Adams (nine catches, 110 yards) that set up the Raiders' final touchdown, and the facemask on Nnamdi Madubuike earlier in the quarter.
However, many of the penalties are occurring at crucial moments. A false start called on Derrick Henry in the fourth quarter, with the Ravens still leading by seven points, turned a third-and-1 into a passing situation that they failed to convert. The Raiders tied it on their next possession, then Baltimore went three-and-out to set up Carlson's winning field goal.
The Ravens have committed too many penalties in both losses and will have to play cleaner football to win consistently.
"Going forward, we need to focus on the details and being efficient and be able to close the game out," tight end Mark Andrews said. "I feel like we had control of the whole game but we let it slip. Can't do that."
Baltimore needs to play better complementary football.
The Raiders scored on their final four possessions to snatch this game away, as Baltimore's defense couldn't get a stop when it needed it most.
Meanwhile, the Ravens came up empty on their final two offensive possessions, as the Raiders kept two-time MVP Lamar Jackson (21-of-45, 247 yards, one touchdown) and the Ravens' playmakers in check down the stretch.
Baltimore's special teams also had miscues, too. Justin Tucker missed a 56-yard field goal, to make him 1-of-7 from 50+ yards since the start of last season. Then after the Ravens' stalled on their final drive, Jordan Stout's disappointing 24-yard punt and a 5-yard penalty on Baltimore put the Raiders at the Ravens' 48-yard line, leaving them a short drive to set up Daniel Carlson for his game-winner.
The Ravens need to play better in all three phases, and their defense would like to have another crack at the fourth quarter. They couldn't contain Gardner Minshew II (30-of-38, 276 yards, one touchdown), who picked Baltimore apart despite being sacked five times.
Something about playing in Baltimore brings out the best in Minshew. After beating the Ravens last year at M&T while playing with the Colts, Minshew authored another upset when he and Adams took over the game playing pitch-and-catch against the Ravens' secondary, with Adams playing like the All-Pro receiver he is.
"Trust me, it sucks more for us than anyone else, and I just know we're going to put our head down and keep going and correct our mistakes, because there's no way we should be 0-2, but it is what it is," All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith said.
The impact of having Derrick Henry is being negated.
When Henry gets rolling in the second half, his team usually wins.
But that wasn't the case in his home debut with Baltimore. Henry (84 yards) had 10 carries for 74 yards in the second half. He was the hammer who played a huge role in two second-half touchdown drives.
On the Ravens' 76-yard march that put them ahead 23-13 in the fourth quarter, he carried the ball on six of the last seven plays. He gained 36 yards on the drive, including a 3-yard touchdown drive off a direct snap when Henry bulled his way into the end zone.
His longest run the day was a 29-yard rumble in the third quarter, when Henry gained extra yards by tossing Raiders' defensive end Charles Snowden out of the way.
However, Baltimore's offense is still searching for its rhythm and winning will be difficult until its offense becomes more consistent. Henry is preaching patience and expects the winning to begin soon.
"We know the problems, so we'll get back to it," Henry said. "It's a slow start right now, but it's all about execution, getting each other better, holding each other accountable and turning this thing around."
Extra Points:
- Dating back to last season's AFC championship, Jackson has lost three straight starts for the first time in his career.
- This was Baltimore's first game without a first-half touchdown since Week 15 of 2022 vs. the Cleveland Browns.
- Henry scored his 92nd career rushing touchdown to move past Jerome Bettis and Franco Harris into 11th place on the all-time list.
- Maxx Crosby of the Raiders had two sacks, including one on the Ravens' final possession that was one of the game's biggest plays.
- Zay Flowers (seven catches, 91 yards, one touchdown) and Mark Andrews (four catches, 51 yards were the Ravens' receiving leaders.
