Raiders-Ravens recap, final score: Raiders drop third straight 30-17

Right out the gates, the Raiders spotted the Ravens 14 points and they were left to try and play catch up all day.

The first Ravens play was a 52-yard bomb to Mike Wallace up the left sideline. He got behind Sean Smith who had no safety help. The Ravens would go 75 yards in 5 plays to go up 7-0.

The next touchdown came on defense, when on the Raiders’ third offensive play, Jared Cook made a short catch, fumbled it, and Jimmy Smith picked it up to return it 47 yards for the score.

The Raiders answered the second score with a long drive, but could only muster up a field goal to pull it to 14-3. The run game showed up early for the Raiders with 8 carries for 46 yards in the first quarter. Crabtree’s presence was welcome, catching a 17-yard pass on that scoring drive.

The following drive, the Raiders looked to have the sack on third and 5, but as Denico Autry took Flacco down, he threw a desperation pass that Jeremy Maclin was able to catch for a 6-yard first down. The completion gave them a first down at the Oakland 21-yard-line.

The would convert two more third downs in the red zone and score their third touchdown on a 1-yard run up the middle to take a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Once again, the Raiders were able to answer, this time they were able to put it in the end zone. The big play saw EJ Manuel escape pressure to find Michael Crabtree who had broken open for a 41-yard touchdown. It would stop the bleeding to make it a 21-10 game.

A field goal by the Ravens would extend the lead once again to go up 24-10 at the half. That matched the most points the Ravens have scored all season will still a full half of football remaining.

After both teams going back and forth with nothing doing on offense for a few series, the Raiders were able to get something going late in the third. A 22-yard pass to Seth Roberts along the left sideline converted on third down. They would convert two more third downs, including Manuel scrambling for a first and goal at the 3-yard-line to set up a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run.

With it back to a one score game at 24-17, the Ravens put their foot back on the gas with two drives for field goals to put the game out of reach with just over two minutes left. The Raiders, meanwhile, could do nothing on offense.

They would lose 30-17 to fall to 2-3 on the season. Their first losing record since the 2015 season.

The Ravens improved to 3-2, scoring their most points of the season. That was helped by the fact that the Raiders didn’t have a single sack and their single turnover resulting in a Ravens defensive touchdown.

Ravens receiver Mike Wallace had 3 catches for 133 yards. He had 76 total receiving yards in his first four games combined.

Marshawn Lynch had 43 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Crabtree had 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. Amari Cooper had one catch for 8 yards.

EJ Manuel went 13 for 26 for 159 yards and 1 TD for an 82.1 passer rating. He was sacked three times.