Raiders knock Ravens from ranks of unbeaten

BALTIMORE — So much for that perfect record.

The Baltimore Ravens were scratched from the ranks of the NFL’s undefeated Sunday when, coincidentally, they faced an opponent with a winning record for the first time this season.

The Oakland Raiders came to M&T Bank Stadium and conquered Baltimore 28-27. Oakland withstood a fourth-quarter rally by the Ravens and closed the game out with clutch defense that allowed it to keep a perfect record of its own intact — Oakland is unbeaten in three road games this season.

The Raiders had to fight back from a fourth-quarter flurry as Baltimore scored a quick 15 points — a 52-yard Steve Smith TD, followed by a Terrance West 3-yard TD run set up by a De’Andre Washington fumble — to take a 27-21 lead. Smith led the Ravens with eight catches for 111 yards, while West rushed for 113 yards.

Fittingly, they went back to the well that was so reliable Sunday as Derek Carr connected with Michael Crabtree for a third TD that put Oakland back on top for good. The 23-yard TD was Carr’s fourth scoring strike of the day. He completed 25 of 35 passes for 199 yards.

The Ravens’ chance to pull out a last-minute victory was squashed when Joe Flacco’s third-down pass for Dennis Pitta from midfield was low and in the turf. That wiped out a chance for strong-legged kicker Justin Tucker to win the game with a long field goal. A fourth-and-10 throw over the middle to Kamar Aiken was incomplete, broken up by Oakland safety Reggie Nelson.

Both teams now have 3-1 records. But beyond the head-to-head result, Oakland’s mark is decidedly stronger for a couple of reasons:

— The Raiders have survived a brutal stretch with three of four games away from home during the opening month. They won at New Orleans and Tennessee, too.

— Baltimore collected its wins against three teams — Buffalo, Cleveland and Jacksonville — that entered Sunday with a combined record of 1-8.

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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell

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