The Sports Xchange

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Missed tackles, careless penalties and blown second half leads.

These are three areas Ravens coach John Harbaugh is determined to fix heading into Sunday’s game at San Francisco. Earlier in the week, the Ravens shook up the roster to help with those issues.

Baltimore cut linebacker Jason Babin and cornerback Rashaan Melvin, both of whom struggled with penalties and uneven play.

The Ravens signed cornerback Shareece Wright and activated corners Asa Jackson and Charles James from the practice squad to add depth because of recent injuries.

Baltimore has lost its four games this season by an average of 4.25 points. The Ravens had a second-half lead in each of those games. They simply need to find ways to close out a game, according to Harbaugh.

“We’ve lost four close games,” Harbaugh said. “And whether that means scoring at the end of the game to extend the lead with a two-point conversion or scoring a touchdown instead of a field goal, it certainly means getting off the field in the fourth quarter when you have the lead.

“There have been four games where we’ve had the lead in the fourth quarter that we haven’t finished. We’ve had one game where we have, and that’s on us.”

Babin was signed to help with the pass rush after Terrell Suggs was lost for the season because of a torn Achilles. Against the Browns, Babin was ruled offside twice, which did not please his coach.

“The ones that were most hurtful were the offsides, where we lined up in the neutral zone, twice in the same drive,” Harbaugh said. “That was unfathomable.”

The release of Babin means the Ravens will head into San Francisco with three healthy outside linebackers — Courtney Upshaw, rookie Za’Darius Smith and Albert McClellan. Elvis Dumervil (groin) might not be available.

Melvin has battled injuries and simply did not play well enough when given opportunities.

“it just wasn’t happening quick enough,” Harbaugh said about Melvin’s development. “You’ve got to get out there and you’ve got to play. He will. He’s a hard worker.”

Cornerback Will Davis (knee), who was acquired from the Dolphins last month for 2016 seventh-round draft pick, tore an ACL against the Browns and is out for the season.

As a result, the Ravens’ available cornerbacks are Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, Kyle Arrington, Tray Walker, Shareece Wright, Jackson and James.

Baltimore has battled adversity since the season opener and is 1-4 for the first time in franchise history. Part of the challenge is an unforgiving early season schedule. The Ravens played five of their first seven games on the road.

Following the game in San Francisco, the Ravens travel to Arizona for a Monday night matchup. From there, the Ravens will play six of their final nine games at home.

While any shot at the playoffs might seem remote, the Ravens are determined to keep fighting. Another battle is waiting in San Francisco.

“We’re going to travel west,” Harbaugh said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us. It’s going to be something that’s going to be tough and challenging.

“It’s a good football team. They have a lot of good players. We know a lot of those guys personally. We practiced against them last year. We know the team well. We have to go find a way to play our best and win the game, and that’s all we need to be thinking about right now, and that’s all we’ll be focusing on.”

SERIES HISTORY: Fifth regular season meeting. Ravens lead the series, 3-1. The most historic meeting between these two teams was in Super Bowl XLVII, when Baltimore escaped with a 34-31 victory. San Francisco last beat the Ravens, 38-20, on Nov. 17, 1996. Baltimore has won six consecutive games against NFC teams, three of which have come on the road.