The Sports Xchange

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are 0-3 for the first time in franchise history, and the common theme in all three losses is their inability to close out games in the fourth quarter.

The problem got even worse in Week 3 against the Bengals as the Ravens grabbed the lead twice in a span of less than three minutes in the final quarter before losing 28-24.

The slow start has put them in a hole that might be too difficult to overcome. Only three teams — the Buffalo Bills (1998), San Diego Chargers (1992) and Detroit Lions (1995) — have made the playoffs in the past 25 years after starting 0-3.

The Ravens won’t have much time to simmer over the latest loss because they only have a few days to prepare for a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh. The Steelers, however, will be without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is out with a knee injury.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said at his Monday press conference the team is determined to turn the season around.

“We’re a very confident football team,” Harbaugh said. “We’ feel like we can overcome any adversity. We have before. We will again. I don’t care what walk of life you’re in, you are going to go through tough times. What’s that old saying, ‘when you’re going through hell, keep going.’ That’s what we are going to do. We are going to keep going. We’re going to find a way out.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw an interception on a potential game-winning score in the final minute against Denver in Week 1. The following game, the Raiders scored a go-ahead touchdown with 26 seconds left in regulation to keep Baltimore winless.

The Ravens have lost all three games by a total of 14 points. The defense has simply not been able to make a key stop when the team needed one the most.

Baltimore took its first lead against the Bengals when C.J. Mosley returned a fumble by quarterback Andy Dalton 41 yards for a touchdown. On the next possession, Dalton found receiver A.J. Green for an 80-yard score. Baltimore responded with a 16-yard touchdown from Flacco to Steve Smith. But once again, the defense allowed the Bengals to march 80 yards as Dalton found Green again for a game-winning 7-yard touchdown.

“It’s very tough as a team,” Mosley said about being 0-3. “It’s even tougher when you’re on defense, and you have three games to close the game out, and we didn’t. We can say that we can practice, or we can do this harder, but at the end of the day, the defense has to finish. We actually got the lead on defense, came back out and gave it right back up. The offense got the lead again, and we gave it right back. It’s always tough being on the field last and leaving it up to the offense to make some miracle play. We had three chances in a row [to close out a game], and we haven’t gotten it done. We have to find a way to finish.”

Baltimore is hoping to find answers Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Steelers, though, will have revenge on their minds after the Ravens knocked them out of the playoffs last season. They would like nothing more than to bury their AFC North rival.

INJURY NOTES: TE Crockett Gillmore caught three passes for 40 yards before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury. He missed the entire second half. Following the game, Harbaugh said, “You’ll get an injury report later.” However, Harbaugh did not provide an update Monday. The Ravens should provide a formal injury report Tuesday. … WR Breshad Perriman (knee), the Ravens’ first-round pick, has been out since the first day of training camp. He has been running routes and even participated in practice last week. However, he might have suffered a setback prior to the game against the Bengals. Perriman was running under a deep throw by wide receivers coach Bobby Engram and pulled up in the end zone. He then bent over in apparent pain, but was able to walk back to the sideline. He even caught a few more balls. Harbaugh did not provide an update at his Monday press conference.

REPORT CARD VS. BENGALS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C — Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 32 of 49 passes for 362 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. However, the Ravens were held scoreless in the first half and they eventually paid for the slow start. Wide receiver Steve Smith had another huge game, finishing with 13 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco, however, is being hindered by not having a legitimate downfield threat.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: D — The Ravens’ running game was grounded the entire game, making the offense one-dimensional. Baltimore managed just 36 rushing yards on 18 carries, averaging just two yards. Starter Justin Forsett was held to 13 yards on 10 carries. The offensive line failed to create any significant holes.

–PASS DEFENSE: F — The Ravens struggled for the second straight week. Baltimore’s corners simply could not match up with Bengals receiver A.J. Green, who caught 10 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns. It was the second year in a row he came down with the game-winning score at M&T Bank Stadium. Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton completed 20 of 32 pass attempts for 383 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The Ravens’ defense will have to improve significantly for Baltimore to have any chance to rebound from its 0-3 start.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B — The Ravens played effectively against one the league’s best ground attacks. The Bengals finished with 86 yards on 31 carries Defensive tackle Brandon Williams had a team-high 18 tackles.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: C — Kicker Justin Tucker uncharacteristically missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt. Michael Campanaro had a solid day, averaging 17.5 yards on two kick returns that gave Baltimore a spark. Coverage was effective overall.

–COACHING: D — The Ravens’ coaches have not been able to find answers to get the team back on track. Losing the home opener before a sellout crowd was especially demoralizing. The defense has not made effective adjustments and the offense has gotten off to some slow starts. As a result, the Ravens are 0-3 for the first time in franchise history.