Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — When the Baltimore Ravens were 1-5, coach John Harbaugh's job was to keep the season from going off the rails. He remained defiantly hopeful that they could turn things around and make the playoffs.

Now, after three straight wins, the message is that the job isn't done.

“I think the statement remains to be stated,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We have a long way to go, and that’s where our guys are at.”

The Ravens won 27-19 at Minnesota on Sunday, forcing three turnovers and benefiting from eight false start penalties by the Vikings. It wasn't a dominant victory, but Baltimore will gladly take it while trying to fight its way back into the playoff picture.

The Ravens (4-5) are now only one game behind Pittsburgh atop the AFC North. That's because Harbaugh's brother Jim coached the Los Angeles Chargers to a win over the Steelers on Sunday night.

“More ‘good luck’ texts than usual,” John Harbaugh said. "And I was very pleased with the outcome.”

Aside from injuries, turnovers played a big factor in Baltimore's disastrous start this season — and in its failure to advance further in the playoffs in recent years. So when the Ravens picked off two passes and recovered a Minnesota fumble on Sunday, it was a welcome sign. Baltimore also had a plus-three turnover margin the previous week in a win over Miami.

“They’re not only taking away points for them, but putting our offense in a better position,” safety Kyle Hamilton said.

What's working

Baltimore's defensive turnaround continues. After allowing 35.4 points per game in Weeks 1-5, the Ravens have yielded an average of 14.5 in the four games since.

The schedule plays a role in this. The first five games included matchups with the Bills, Lions and Chiefs. Then Baltimore held the Rams to 17 points — an impressive accomplishment — before wins over the Bears, Dolphins and Vikings.

It's clear Baltimore is gaining confidence, and that might only continue with the Browns and Jets up next on the schedule.

What needs work

The Ravens have not been good in the red zone this season, and Sunday was no different. They settled for field goals on their first three trips inside the 20 before finally managing two touchdowns, one of which came after a fumble gave them the ball at the Minnesota 23.

“We need to be scoring touchdowns down there. We’re good enough to do it,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a combination, probably, of we have to keep putting our guys in the best position we can with great plays and creative things to do. You have to run the ball in the red zone. That’s really important, and then you have to do things right down there and find a way to get open.”

Baltimore was creative in short-yardage situations Sunday, including one play when the Ravens lined up like they were going to run a tush push with tight end Mark Andrews taking the snap under center. Then Andrews pitched the ball to Lamar Jackson, and the star quarterback easily outran defenders to the edge to gain the necessary yardage.

The Ravens still haven't shown they can consistently line up and run the ball up the middle with Derrick Henry in short-yardage situations when the defense expects that — although they did get Henry going a bit in the second half.

Stock up

Rookie safety Malaki Starks intercepted a pass for the second straight game. A first-round draft pick before the season, Starks went through some growing pains but is making progress.

“It’s starting to click for him, and he’s reacting just a little bit faster,” Harbaugh said. “He’s conscientious, so he always wants to do things right.”

Stock down

Tight end Isaiah Likely had only two catches for 17 yards on five targets.

Injuries

Harbaugh confirmed receiver Rashod Bateman sprained his ankle and said he should know more about the injury Wednesday.

Key number

3 — The Ravens have had a plus-3 turnover margin for each of the past two games. It's the first time they've done that in consecutive weeks since 2017, when they produced a plus-4 in Week 11 against Green Bay, then plus-3 against Houston in Week 12 and against Detroit in Week 13.

Next steps

The Ravens play at Cleveland on Sunday. They beat the Browns 41-17 in Week 2.

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