BALTIMORE — The Ravens' seven-point lead over the Washington Commanders late in the third quarter on Sunday felt tenuous. Most of the leads work with this Ravens team, which has always been known for keeping things interesting.

The Commanders' rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, had already shown a lot in the first two and a half quarters. The last thing the Ravens wanted to see was the phenomenon of having the ball in their hands late and a chance to win the game. So Baltimore had to start a drive, and do so in the shadow of its goal line.

The Ravens had already had a 93-yard scoring drive. This one required 94 yards. The Ravens needed just eight plays to do it and reached third just once.

When Derrick Henry raced up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown run, the Ravens regained a two-possession lead, giving even more reason to argue that they have the best offense in the NFL.

The Ravens' offensive versatility was on full display in a 30-23 victory over the Commanders in which the home team felt out of control until the final seconds. The Commanders challenged the Ravens to pass the ball against a crowded box, and Lamar Jackson threw for 323 yards and a touchdown. When the Ravens needed to run the ball, they did so, racking up 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

If it wasn't Jackson beating man coverage to find Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews, then it was Henry making arm tackle attempts and racking up long yardage.

“I think we are fast and there are a lot of people influencing the game,” Andrews said. “It’s kind of a poison for the defense. I've been saying this for some time, and I think we continue to show it week after week. We have to go there next week and do the same thing.”

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The Ravens entered the showdown with Washington leading the league in total yards and rushing yards per game and ranking second in points per game. They were also top five on third and fourth downs and in the red zone. They were first in offensive DVOA.

They then took on an over- and under-manned Washington defense and fought their way to the top spots, totaling 484 yards of offense and scoring points on five consecutive possessions in the second, third and fourth quarters en route to their fourth straight win. They probably would have scored on their sixth drive in a row, but they got what they needed, a few first downs. This enabled the offensive team to get into the winning formation. For the second straight game, Henry was closer, as his 27-yard run just before the two-minute warning nearly clinched the game.

“Everything worked,” said Henry, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The 30-year-old leads the NFL with 704 rushing yards, nearly 100 more than the San Francisco 49ers' Jordan Mason, who is second with 609 rushing yards. “It was like, 'Pick your poison.'”

ANOTHER ONE FOR THE KING 👑

Tune in to CBS! pic.twitter.com/R6RnEzXal6

– Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 13, 2024

There are those words again. No fewer than three Ravens described their offense as a “pick your poison” proposition on Sunday. The commanders were willing participants and capitalized early on two mistakes by Baltimore. Jackson was intercepted by Mike Sainristil on the first possession when the ball bounced off Andrews' hands. A grounded snap by center Tyler Linderbaum forced the Ravens to settle for a field goal on their second drive.

Washington did well to limit the running game led by Jackson and Henry early, but it couldn't stop Flowers, who had a career-high 132 receiving yards on nine catches by halftime. The second-year receiver didn't score in the second half, but then Andrews (three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown) and Bateman (four catches for 71 yards) stepped up to the plate in the passing game.

Just as Washington began to tighten up the back end, Henry began to wear them down with first down runs.

“With Derrick Henry, you have to give him the ball,” Flowers said. “No matter what happens, no matter who you have at receiver, no matter who you have at tight end, you have to get that man the ball. So I just wanted to wait. I knew he would open it for us. Now we are able to do both – run and pass.”

The Ravens have now scored 28 or more points in four straight games. They also averaged 472 yards of offense per game during their four-game winning streak. On Sunday, they set an NFL record as the first team to complete six consecutive games with at least 150 yards and a touchdown through the air and on the ground.

Flowers agreed that the Ravens have one of the best offenses in the league, but neither he nor his teammates wanted to call it that The best offense.

“We’re just proving we can win games,” a subdued Jackson said. “I’m playing Raven football right now. I don't think it really proved that we're the best offense. There is always room for improvement. It's only like our sixth game. We still had drives where we should have put points on the board — that interception and stuff like that.”

Jackson acknowledged that this is probably the most balanced offense he has ever led. Henry shot down numerous versions of the question, saying: “We came here modestly. We remain humble.”

Still, the Ravens seem to make their case every week. Through the first two weeks, they looked like a team still searching for its offensive identity and still trying to find the best combination on a new-look offensive line. Then Henry and the ground game started picking up steam, and it hasn't slowed down. The passing game is also getting better every week.

BIG GAME @Mandrews_81 ❗❗

Turn on CBS pic.twitter.com/UkMFzknpDX

– Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 13, 2024

The Ravens have seen all sorts of defenses over the years aimed at slowing down Jackson and Baltimore's unique offense. It usually took some time for them to get used to it. This season, offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Jackson had more — and quicker — answers.

In Week 3, the Dallas Cowboys were attacked on the interior of the defensive line, so the Ravens ran hard and kept standout passers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence honest by attacking the edges. The Buffalo Bills love to stay in their nickel package defensively, and the Ravens responded by using their strong personnel and continually going downhill with their running game.

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals repeatedly sent blitzers at Jackson, a strategy that has worked for some defenses in the past. Jackson was 14 of 20 for 183 yards and two touchdowns against the Lightning and posted a quarterback rating of 139.9, according to NFL's Next Gen Stats.

And on Sunday, Dan Quinn's defense was in full force, content to play man-to-man coverage on the outside, something it hasn't done often this season. According to TruMedia, Jackson completed 11 of 14 passes against man-to-man coverage for 131 yards.

“We didn't know if they were going to play a lot of hands or not, but they did, and I understand why they did it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “With all the quarterback and run game stuff, they felt like they had to do it. They know how to stop this stuff. They make those plays and Lamar placing those passes where he did and those guys making those plays was the difference in the game.”

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Baltimore's decisive eight-play, 94-yard drive in the third quarter began innocently enough. Henry ran 2 yards from the left side to give Jackson a little more breathing room from the goal line. Henry then reeled off a 12-yard run from left tackle.

Jackson got another dig when he hit Andrews for 15 yards. A pass interference call on Washington gave Baltimore another first down and then Jackson found Andrews for another 38 yards. In the red zone, Henry did the rest with a 5-yard run followed by a 7-yard touchdown.

It was the Ravens at their best, with Henry doing the heavy lifting and then Jackson finding open receivers behind the Commanders' linebackers.

“I just feel like we’re good at what we need to do,” Flowers said. “If we have to run the ball, we will run the ball. If we have to pass, we will. And if we have to do both – like we did today – then that’s what we have to do.”

(Top photo of Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)