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Three yards from the end zone, the Ravens again had four attempts to score a touchdown, this time against the New York Jets.

The first play gained no yards. The second gained one. The third resulted in an incompletion.

It seemed like a repeat of so many other games this season — the Los Angeles Rams loss, the Minnesota Vikings win, the Cleveland Browns win — when the Ravens worked their way into goal-to-go situations but failed to punch the ball into the end zone.

Up 10-7 in the third quarter Sunday, the Ravens went for it on fourth-and-2. They handed the ball to running back Derrick Henry, who ran to the end zone through a giant hole created by the pancake block Patrick Ricard laid on edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II.

The touchdown was a pivotal moment in a 23-10 victory. And, with clean execution, it looked easy.

“That’s what we expect when you’ve got guys like Pat Ricard and Derrick Henry in the backfield: A hole opens up, and you run straight through,” wide receiver Tylan Wallace said.

But scoring touchdowns inside the red zone has been anything but easy for this team.

The Ravens entered the week ranked 28th in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage. They’ve scored touchdowns on 19 of 41 trips (46%) inside the 20-yard line and are 15-for-21 (71%) in goal-to-go situations. Since the bye week, after which they started their five-game win streak, they’ve been successful on 11 of 23 (48%) trips to the red zone and 11 of 14 (78.5%) goal-to-go situations.

In the Ravens’ past three games against the Vikings, Browns and Jets, the offense has suffered inconsistent performances — and has scored on only five of 14 trips to the red zone for a 35.7% success rate. It has scored on five of eight (62.5%) goal-to-go situations across those games. Both are below the season rates.

Coach John Harbaugh admitted that it was hard to decide to go for it on fourth down, despite Henry’s presence. Last season, that wasn’t a difficult decision. Henry scored on 10 of 20 carries from the 5-yard line or closer in 2024. This season, that number is down to six touchdowns on 21 attempts.

Two of those scores came Sunday against the Jets — Henry also found the end zone on a third-and-2 in the third quarter prior to his fourth-down run.

“It was a tough call,” Harbaugh said. “We just decided that the downside of leaving them backed up there would be OK — we’d be OK — but that was a tough call not taking the points, the sure points.”

Against the Jets, the Ravens scored on both of their goal-to-go opportunities, but their red-zone success rate was low (2-for-5).

“I think it’s really locking in to what got called,” Wallace said, explaining why the Ravens found success against the Jets. “We’re executing it at practice. We’re going over it. Obviously, we want to be better in that area on game day. But I think we’re doing a better job of understanding what we’re trying to do when the play is called and executing.”

Other players did not seem confident the Ravens’ short-yardage problems had been fixed.

“I think it was great getting the ball in there, but I also think we still left a lot out there,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “I don’t think we scored on every possession in the red zone, touchdowns. But we need to get touchdowns in the red zone."

Center Tyler Linderbaum expressed a similar message.

“We still need to improve,” Linderbaum said. “I don’t know what we were today in the red zone. Especially at the end there, I know we get the ball down to the 7-yard line. We don’t find a way to get it in instead of kicking the field goal.”

The Ravens were facing a defense that entered Week 12 ranked 30th in the NFL, according to FTN’s efficiency rankings. The Jets allowed a score on 46.3% of opponent drives before Sunday, the NFL’s fourth-highest rate.

Linderbaum said the Ravens’ solution needs to come from everyone.

“Yeah, the coaches can get more creative with things, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to find a way in the red zone,” Linderbaum said.

Wallace added that “the players make the play happen.”

Stanley said it’s hard to pinpoint what the players need to do differently, but he said every position group needs to focus on the details.

“Staying on our blocks, making sure that you’re finishing the block and we’re hitting the hole we’re supposed to hit,” Stanley said.

Up next, the Ravens face the league’s worst defense in the Cincinnati Bengals. But the Bengals showed potential Sunday, as former Ravens safety Geno Stone had a pick six and the team held the New England Patriots without touchdowns on both of their trips in the red zone. Plus, division games are always hard-fought, Linderbaum said.

“We’re not even close to where we need to be, where we want to be,” Linderbaum said. “But we’re on the right track.”