After a hard-fought win over the Dallas Cowboys, John Harbaugh was clear and direct, revealing the areas the Baltimore Ravens need to improve following their first victory of the 2024 NFL season, which was anything but easy. The head coach addressed several key points in the post-game press conference.
One of the main areas of concern, according to Harbaugh, was penalties—something that heavily impacted the Ravens during Week 3, costing them valuable yards and giving the Dallas Cowboys an edge.
“I think we need to eliminate the penalties, that’s what we need to do. They hurt us… Whether you think they should be called or not, we should look at the tape. There are questionable ones, you guys know more than I do. But it doesn’t matter—we’ve got to eliminate the penalties.”
Harbaugh also praised Lamar Jackson for his strong performance but admitted the team needs to run the ball more, especially with Henry and Justice in the backfield. At the same time, he acknowledged the team played a bit more conservatively than usual.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 22: Derrick Henry #22 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates his touchdown with John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
“We probably got conservative, I agree with that. I think there’s a reason when you have a big lead like that—we were running the clock. I didn’t go for it on 4th with 1:30 left… I could have, but Lamar wouldn’t let me do it.”
Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 Season
The Baltimore Ravens kicked off the 2024 NFL season with a Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, dropping a tough road opener 20-27. In Week 2, despite controlling much of the game at home, they ended up losing to the Raiders 23-26.
Lamar Jackson Stays Confident
After the Cowboys game, quarterback Lamar Jackson said the Ravens need to keep doing what they’ve been doing: “making opposing defenses guess.” He emphasized that approach in response to a question about the outcome of the game against Dallas.
