CINCINNATI -- As most of the frustrated Baltimore Ravens players had filed out of the locker room following a 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, one could be heard saying, "Offensive [expletive] pass interference."

Whatever your opinion is on Steve Smith's penalty -- which negated an 80-yard, go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds of the game -- you can make a good argument that the Ravens lost their grip on first place in the AFC North because of their play in the previous 59 minutes of the game.

There was a dropped pass by wide receiver Kamar Aiken at the 1-yard line, two interceptions from quarterback Joe Flacco and three touchdowns allowed by the NFL's stingiest defense. The Ravens admirably withstood numerous injuries. They just weren't good enough to overcome critical mistakes.

If you want one play that led to the Ravens being swept by the Bengals, look at the one 25 seconds before the official threw that flag on Smith. The Ravens had control of their fate with their defense facing fourth-and-goal at the 1 with a 24-20 lead.

It came down to the league's best red zone defense against the only team who hadn't converted a fourth down this season. And the Ravens failed to stop quarterback Andy Dalton from going up the gut of the defense and reaching the end zone.

Even though the Bengals scored the winning touchdown on a second-effort push, the Ravens were in no position to stop Dalton. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said the Ravens were expecting the Bengals to throw the ball, and it looked that way by the Ravens' formation. With the Bengals splitting out four receivers wide, the Ravens had two lineman (Ngata and nose tackle Brandon Williams), four linebackers and five defensive backs.

Dalton correctly called an audible for the quarterback sneak, and the Bengals only needed to push Williams and Elvis Dumervil off the ball because Ngata had run upfield to rush the passer. Inside linebackers Daryl Smith and C.J. Mosley converged but they were knocked yards into the end zone.

"They did a good job scheming it," Ngata said.

If the Ravens had stopped Dalton, they would've had the ball with 57 seconds left in the game. Ravens coach John Harbaugh contends the officials could've ruled differently on that fourth-and-goal play.

"They could have called forward progress stopped," Harbaugh said, "yes they could have."

Harbaugh added: "I've always wondered why a guy can be pinched in the middle of a bunch of 300-pound men and we think that's a safe situation. I've been bringing that up at league meetings about every year now, and no one listens to me."

There was a time in the middle of the fourth quarter when it looked like the defense was going to win the game for the Ravens. Ngata's forced fumble and Mosley's interception turned a 20-14 deficit to a 24-20 lead.

It was at that point when the defense couldn't get the Bengals off the field. With Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green inactive, Mohamed Sanu caught a 53-yard pass on third-and-10 and Greg Little made a 13-yard reception on third-and-2.

That led to Dalton's winning 1-yard touchdown, which was an unusual trend for the Ravens. In the first seven games, the Ravens had allowed a league-low seven touchdowns in the red zone. On five drives inside their 20-yard line Sunday, the Ravens gave up three touchdowns -- all on 1-yard runs.

Whenever you hear about Sunday's game between the Ravens and Bengals, the most talked-about play is going to be Smith's pass interference penalty. The Ravens defenders, though, know that call wasn't the one that lost the game.

"We should have made plays earlier," Ngata said. "It should've have came down to that."