The last two weeks had been incredibly challenging for the Ravens.

They had been blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars in London and then lost to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore was outscored 70-16 in that two-game stretch, and the offense had struggled to find any sort of consistent rhythm through the first month of the season.

The Ravens came into Sunday's matchup with the Oakland Raiders knowing they had to stop the bleeding to get their season back on track, and they delivered with a 30-17 win at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

"This one is a little more significant because of what it does for the mentality and the confidence of the football team, and what not winning would have done to the mentality of the football team," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "It counts the same, just as any other. It doesn't matter when you lose them, necessarily, and when you win them.

"But as far as the mentality of this football team, and the confidence of our offense and our defense, I think this will go a little longer than a normal win."

The Ravens delivered their best all-around performance of the season to take down the Raiders. The offense hit big plays and found holes in the running game, and the defense scored a touchdown of its own after Oakland's first-quarter fumble.

Flacco in particular rebounded in a big way, completing 19-of-26 passes for 222 yards. He also protected the football and snapped a 10-game streak of throwing an interception.

"We've played two tough games the last couple weeks and we hadn't played well," Flacco said. "It's definitely good to be able to play those kinds of games and be able to respond the way we did today."

The Ravens maintained confidence during the week and stressed that there was no panic amongst the group. Players have said throughout this season that this year's team has a uniquely close bond, and that there is no divide between the offense and defense.

"It just shows our resiliency," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "We didn't start pointing fingers. We didn't keep our head down. We didn't make excuses or blame the other side of the ball. We just stepped up to the plate. We owned up to our mistakes on each side and we came out and got a tough win."

To make Sunday's victory even a little sweeter, the Ravens moved back into a tie with the Steelers for first place in the division after Pittsburgh lost 30-9 at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens and Steelers are both now 3-2, each losing lopsided games to Jacksonville.

As nice as it is to get some help in the division race, veteran leader Terrell Suggs emphasized that the Ravens can't spend too much time focusing on what other teams are doing.

"The NFL season is a marathon," Suggs said. "You have to handle your games and what you can do. I think in years past, that was our mistake. We were worried about what everyone else was doing. Every Sunday you get a chance to control your own fate. We just have to worry about the team that's in front of us. We just have to run our race." 

The next leg in Baltimore's race is a home matchup with the Chicago Bears (1-3).

The Ravens hope they can build off the success from Sunday's game, but Head Coach John Harbaugh was quick to dismiss the notion that the Ravens can count on a carryover from beating the Raiders. 

"It's a one-week league," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "Every week is a different week, and you just have to come out and find a way to play your best football, and try to win the next game.

"We just have to think about the Chicago Bears. We just have to prepare for the Chicago Bears. All we're looking at right now is the Chicago Bears."