Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh looks on during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Ravens HC Explains Controversial Fourth-Down Decision

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 9:00 AM ET

As the Baltimore Ravens imploded in Sunday's 41-40 loss to the Buffalo Bills, one couldn't help but lament on all the moments they could've held on if just one thing went differently.

What if Tyler Loop didn't miss the extra point after the Ravens' final touchdown? What if Chidobe Awuzie had managed to come down with the interception that was overturned after review? What if the Bills didn't start the rally on a miracle tipped touchdown on fourth-and-goal? All those questions and more will haunt the Ravens and their fans for a long time to come, but one stands out above the rest.

On the Ravens' final offensive drive, they opted to punt on a fourth-and-3 instead of going for it to ice the game with a first down. The Bills made them pay for that decision, going 66 yards on nine plays in just 1:26 to set up Matt Prater's game-winning field goal.

Since the game went final, many fans and analysts have questioned Harbaugh's choice to punt instead of going for the kill. However, Harbaugh never second-guessed his decision.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

"Lamar [Jackson] was coming off the field at that point, I could see that something wasn't quite right," Harbaugh told reporters Monday. "If we get it, we win the game. If we don't get it, they're in field goal range."

"I'm not shying away from putting my defense out there. I trust our defense, and I'm going to trust our defense this year in a lot of big situations because our defense is going to be really, really good."

Jackson confirmed after the game that his legs were indeed cramping late, so from that perspective, it might make sense to go for the punt.

However, Josh Allen and the Bills were shredding the Ravens' defense throughout the entire second half, and did so again on the final drive. Sure, going for it would've been very risky, but so was trusting the defense after the night it had, and look how that turned out.

Harbaugh has been aggressive on fourth downs before, but said he didn't feel it was the right call to be aggressive in that situation. It didn't work, but there's nothing left to do but lick the wounds and learn from it.

"Offensively and defensively, generally speaking, we try to be as aggressive as we can be," Harbaugh said. "Did we call the right plays? Hindsight, no, it didn't work. I'm not just saying that to blow it off.

"We're trying to keep a lead against Josh Allen or any of these great quarterbacks in this league. What's our mindset on defense? How are we going to approach this? How are we going to talk to one another on the sideline to try to find a way to get the win? It becomes kind of a situation, a game scenario, that we need to be really intentional about going forward."

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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