The Sports Xchange
Oct 2, 2016
BALTIMORE -- Derek Carr threw for four touchdowns, including a go-ahead 23-yard pass to Michael Crabtree with just under two minutes remaining, and the Oakland Raiders handed the Baltimore Ravens their first loss of the season with a 28-27 decision on Sunday.
The Raiders (3-1) have already won three games on the road. The offense for Baltimore (3-1) struggled against NFL's worst defense, going just 3 of 12 on third down.
The game came down to a frantic finish.
Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy plowed into Oakland running back DeAndre Washington and forced a fumble. The ball was recovered by Baltimore cornerback Tavon Young on the Oakland 17-yard line with 5:42 remaining.
Terrance West gave Baltimore its first lead at 27-21 four plays later on a 3-yard run. West had a career-high 113 yards on 21 carries.
Mike Wallace was given a 15-yard penalty for taunting after converting a two-point conversion on the previous scoring drive. This helped the Raiders with their field position and Carr needed just six plays to regain the lead.
Baltimore got to midfield but could not convert a fourth-and-10 play on its final drive.
Carr was 25 of 35 for 199 yards and Crabtree had three touchdowns receptions for Oakland.
A 1-yard sneak by quarterback Joe Flacco pulled the Ravens to within 14-12 with 2:21 left in the third quarter.
Oakland linebacker Bruce Irvin sacked Flacco and forced a fumble early in the fourth quarter. The ball was recovered by the Raiders' Denico Autry on the Ravens' 29. Carr threw a 13-yard touchdown to Crabtree for a 21-12 lead with 11:11 remaining.
A 52-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Steve Smith got Baltimore to within two points. Smith caught eight passes for 111 yards.
Flacco completed 32 of 52 passes for 298 yards with the touchdown.
Baltimore punter Sam Koch made a key tackle on a 47-yard punt return by Oakland's Jalen Richard that prevented a touchdown. However, Carr threw a 6-yard pass to Seth Roberts on the next play to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
A 28-yard run by Washington gave the Raiders the ball on the 5-yard line. Carr found Crabtree on the next play for a 14-3 lead with 4:09 left in the second quarter.
A 43-yard field goal by Justin Tucker as time expired pulled the Ravens to 14-6 at the half. Oakland held a commanding lead despite managing just 148 yards of offense.
NOTES: Ravens RB Justin Forsett was a healthy scratch after starting the first three games. Javorius "Buck" Allen, a second round pick in 2015, was active for the the first time. ... The Raiders were playing without their top two right tackles Menelik Watson (calf) and Austin Howard (ankle). Matt McCants (knee) was also was inactive. Vadal Alexander got the start and played effectively. ... James Hurst, a third-year player who has 13 career starts at left tackle, took over that spot for injured rookie Ronnie Stanley (foot). ... Oakland is now 5-22 in the Eastern Time Zone over the past 10 seasons.