Baltimore is the NFL' s most penalized team, averaging 10.3 penalties for 92.7 yards per game through Sunday's games.
The Ravens were whistled 13 times for 105 yards against Dallas, and while they didn't agree with some of the calls, Harbaugh said their penalty numbers need to come down.
"The ones that maybe shouldn't be called, we can't do anything about those. But the ones that should be called, we've got to clean those up," Harbaugh said. "And that's on us. It's our responsibility to do it. It's hurting us. I mean, it's costing us points in the end.
"There are some head-scratchers, but there's also some ones that are legit. When you have the number that we have right now, it's too many. That's just something that's got to get cleaned up."
The most controversial call against Baltimore in Week 3 was Odafe Oweh's roughing the passer penalty with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter. It appeared Oweh tackled Dak Prescott in almost classic form, just a millisecond after he released the ball. The flag against Oweh was critical, part of the Cowboys' final touchdown drive that pulled them to within three points.
Asked if he received an explanation after the call, Harbaugh said, "They said that he lifted him up and dumped him into the ground."
Oweh wasn't pleased with that explanation..
"I just have to play through it and find a way to put the quarterback down a little bit more gently," Oweh said.
Contacting the league and asking for further explanation regarding a call helps the Ravens' coaches teach technique moving forward.
"The things that we can say that we can't see that are wrong, we'll ask the league about," Harbaugh said. "If they confirm that it wasn't a wrong play by the guy, we'll let them know. That's all we can really do."
Completions Over the Middle Are Hurting Ravens' Defense
When the Ravens were hurt by completions over the middle by the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener, Baltimore adjusted in the second half. However, defending tight ends and the middle of the field has continued to be a problem.
Baltimore's next opponent, the Buffalo Bills, are led by an elite quarterback in Josh Allen, who has a talented receiving tight end in Dalton Kincaid. Harbaugh said the trend of being vulnerable over the middle is concerning.
"Absolutely," Harbaugh said. "It's the easiest place to complete passes in the middle of the field. You've got to get between the quarterback and the football. We're not doing a good job of that. It's got to stop."
Fourth Quarter Defense Remains an Issue
Baltimore didn't blow another fourth-quarter lead against Dallas but came too close for Harbaugh's comfort.
The Ravens had to sweat for the 28-25 victory because they gave up 19 points in the fourth quarter after surrendering just six total points through the first three periods. The Ravens surrendered 187 passing yards in the fourth quarter alone. Baltimore is still ranked 32nd in the league in pass defense, giving up 291.7 yards per game.
It was another game when Baltimore's defense looked most vulnerable during the final 15 minutes. Losing another fourth-quarter lead and falling to 0-3 would have been hard to stomach.
"Maybe it's weighing in our brains a little bit, about not letting that happen, and then it happens," Harbaugh said. "The way we played in the first half should be the way we play the whole game. We're capable of doing it, and let's go do it."
With the defensive talent the Ravens have, including three All-Pros at each level of defense in tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, and safety Kyle Hamilton, Harbaugh is confident the Ravens' fourth-quarter defense will tighten up.
"We've got really good players back there, and I'd like to see them play that way from a confidence standpoint, the way they did the rest of the game," Harbaugh said. "We were forcing a lot of tight window throws in the first half. Play the same way in the third quarter, and then play even more that way in the fourth quarter and make them earn it."
Nate Wiggins Had a 'Learning Game' vs. Cowboys
Ravens first-round pick Nate Wiggins stepped in against arguably the NFL's top wide receiver in Dallas' CeeDee Lamb and came away with some wins and losses.
Wiggins' forced fumble deep in the Ravens' red zone after Lamb caught a 10-yard slant kept early momentum on Baltimore's side.
However, Wiggins gave up several slants and was credited by Pro Football Focus with giving up four catches for 82 yards on five targets, including three catches for 58 yards by Lamb.
Wiggins was also flagged for a defensive pass interference on a bomb intended for Lamb at the end of the first half but was bailed out by offsetting penalties. Lamb got a step behind Wiggins. Wiggins was also called for defensive holding in the third quarter, wiping out a third-down stop."
"Nate competed really hard out there. That was a learning game for Nate, probably," Harbaugh said. "He had some really good plays – he knocked that ball out down there … that was a massive play for us. I'm so proud of him for that. Then other times he learned NFL football sometimes.
"He had one pass interference penalty where he didn't even touch the guy, but he got another one where he grabbed the guy, so you have to learn from that – and he will. Some of the leverages he'll learn from. Nate's a competitor; he's tough; he wants to be good. I love everything about who he is and where he's going as a player."
At 21 years, 24 days old, Wiggins became the youngest defensive back in Ravens history to record a forced fumble.
Rashod Bateman Draws Praise After Touchdown
While the Ravens have leaned on Isaiah Likely, Zay Flowers, and Derrick Henry on offense this season (as well as Lamar Jackson, of course), Rashod Bateman has served as an effective complimentary piece so far.
Bateman caught his fifth career touchdown in Dallas by breaking wide open in the back of the end zone. After the game, Harbaugh gave him a game ball.
"I was really happy for Rashod. I feel like he's open a lot, because he runs such good routes, and Lamar finds him, and it's starting to just really grow," Harbaugh said.
"We've got the two young wide receivers out there, and I talk to those guys all the time about, 'They're the future and the present,' and we've got the tight ends, and we've got the veteran, 'Nelly' (Nelson Agholor), doing his thing in there, and you see Tylan [Wallace] will go out there, and he makes his plays, and sometimes he does the dirty work, and he does it so well. [And] Justice Hill ... All these guys are just critical elements of what we're trying to do. But Bate's upside is phenomenal."
