Matt Forte’s third quarter touchdown condemned the Baltimore Ravens to their fourth defeat in-a-row as they were beaten by the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
The visitors raced to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter when Chris Moore collected Lachlan Edwards’ fumble and ran the ball into the end zone.
Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced the injured Geno Smith in the second quarter and the quarterback led his side on a drive in the third to go ahead.
Forte’s run straight up the middle gave the Jets an eight-point lead, and once again, penalties and mistakes cost the Ravens dearly.
Ravens race to first quarter lead
John Harbaugh’s side came into the game on the back of a disappointing loss to the New York Giants, but they started brightly once again.
After punting the ball on their first possession, the Ravens’ special team came up trumps on the first Jets drive. The ball was snapped, but punter Edwards couldn’t hold onto the ball, and Moore collected the fumble and scored the first touchdown of the game.
Joe Flacco linked up with Mike Wallace for a 53-yard gain before Baltimore had to settle for a field goal after being stopped on third down. Justin Tucker was good from 50-yards before the Jets produced their longest play of the season thus far.
Tucker kicks visitors into half-time lead
Smith threw a short pass to Quincy Enunwa, who then ran 69-yards to the end zone to reply on the next drive.
Tucker then kicked a 49-yard field goal to stretch the lead to six-points, and an injury to Jets quarterback Smith saw an instant return for Fitzpatrick.
And he led the offense down the field, which allowed Forte to run straight up the middle for a touchdown.
With seconds remaining, Flacco found Kamar Aiken for a big gain, which allowed Tucker to drill a 44-yard field goal to take the Ravens into half-time with a 16-14 lead.
Forte's second TD turns out to be decisive
Flacco, who went 176-consecutive passes without an interception, threw one midway through the third quarter.
However, the defense stepped up and held the Jets to a field goal before another mistake cost the Ravens.
Timmy Jernigan stripped the ball out of Forte’s hand, but he then fumbled the ball and Brandon Marshall landed on the loose ball to let the hosts of the leesh.
It looked like the Baltimore ‘D’ was going to keep their opponents out the end zone once more, but on third-down, Forte found a lane and ran in for a touchdown.
Jets hold out for important win
Brandon Williams blocked a Nick Folk field goal attempt, which would have all but ended the game, and the visitors had one final chance to drive up the field.
But after the two-minute warning, Flacco threw a deepball to Moore, but the pass was incomplete and the Jets wound down the remaining 55 seconds.
And after a three-game winning streak to start the new season, the Ravens now find themselves 3-4 going into their bye week.