No team in the NFL is better over the opening 15 minutes of a game than the Ravens, who have outscored their opponents a whopping 79-16 in that span through the first 10 games of the season. They’ve been a little worse in each of the next two quarters, but just barely, ranking fourth-best in each after outscoring the opposition 73-38 and 63-28 in the second and third, respectively.

But something is going on in the fourth quarter.

The Ravens have been outscored 72-55 in the final 15 minutes, the sixth-worst point differential in the league. That included Sunday when the Cleveland Browns rallied for an improbable 33-31 victory after scoring two touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth while holding the Ravens to just a touchdown.

It also marked the continuation of a concerning trend. Going back to the start of last season, the Ravens have lost seven games in which they have led in the fourth quarter, tying them with the Indianapolis Colts for the most in the NFL.

What’s been the problem?

“Probably the story is we’ve started fast really every game,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “That’s pretty unusual. If we had finished strong in every game we would be undefeated.

“This thing is a journey. I think we like to look at it and say this is what they are and this is what they’re going to be all year. Every team is forging the season as they go. Things happen.”

Indeed.

When running back Gus Edwards scored from a yard out to give the Ravens a 31-17 lead with 11:34 remaining Sunday, Baltimore had a 95.3% chance of winning, according to ESPN. Yet, it was just the latest in a string of blown opportunities.

One of those losses ironically came to the Colts in overtime in Week 3 this season. In the bungling defeat, the Ravens’ chances of winning following a fourth-quarter sack of quarterback Gardner Minshew in the end zone for a safety were 91%. Two weeks later in Pittsburgh, before Lamar Jackson threw an interception with 4:10 remaining and before the Steelers rallied for the victory, Baltimore’s odds of winning were 89%.

So, what gives?

Against the Browns, Jackson completed just 1 of 5 passes for 11 yards in the fourth with an interception that was returned for a touchdown off a tipped pass. The Ravens also weren’t able to salt the game away on the ground, gaining just 29 yards on 10 rushes. Five of those carries went to Edwards and none to Keaton Mitchell, who early in the game had a couple of explosive plays, including a 39-yard touchdown run, but mysteriously got just four snaps and one carry in the second half.

In the loss to the Steelers, Jackson completed just 5 of 9 passes in the fourth and forced one to a well-covered Odell Beckham Jr. in the end zone only to have rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. intercept it. Meanwhile, Baltimore managed a measly 13 yards rushing and was held to 32 total yards on 15 plays over the final 15 minutes.

Against the Colts, Jackson threw for 69 yards and the Ravens had 53 yards rushing in the fourth, but Jackson was also sacked twice. The first one came on third-and-5 with 2:32 to go and forced the Ravens to punt instead of being able to possibly run the clock out. The second resulted in a 10-yard loss with 23 seconds remaining and contributed to kicker Justin Tucker having to try a game-winning field goal from 61 yards that came up short.

“We’ve got to be dominant all four quarters,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “We’ve gotta do our job and play together and good things will happen.”

But it’s hardly been just the offense — as dominant as the Ravens defense is this season, it hasn’t been so in the fourth quarter.

Sunday, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was 7-for-7 passing for 88 yards with a touchdown in the final quarter. Cleveland also pounded the Ravens’ defense with 45 rushing yards, including 24 by Jerome Ford, who finished with 107 yards on 17 carries.

Against the Steelers, Kenny Pickett completed 6 of 10 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in the fourth. In the loss to the Colts, Minshew was 10-for-17 for 99 yards and Indianapolis grinded out 32 tough yards on the ground.

These are just a few of the reasons the Ravens, who rank No. 1 in expected points added per play through the first three quarters, are a woeful 25th in EPA per play in the fourth quarter.

What’s the reason? Whether it’s being unable to execute on offense, teams adjusting, inexplicable missed tackles or simply getting pushed around, there doesn’t appear to be just one.

“You get [a] game plan, you don’t play things great, you play things great, plays come up, plays get made, plays don’t get made,” Harbaugh said. “We just know what we have to work on right now to get better, and that’s what we’re working on.

“You can’t panic. You don’t get all upset about one game, just like you don’t get over-happy about one game. You kind of try to keep an even keel and keep moving straight ahead through the water.”

But if the Ravens don’t fix their fourth-quarter woes soon, they might sink instead of swim.

Week 11

Bengals at Ravens

Thursday, 8:15 p.m.

TV/Stream: ABC/Prime Video

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

Line: Ravens by 3 1/2

()