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          NFL Nation

          Ravens top NFL in points differential

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterOct 22, 2014, 01:00 PM ET
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          The Baltimore Ravens have averaged 27.6 points per game (the NFL's sixth-best figure). On defense, the Ravens have permitted just 14.9 points per contest, ranking as the league's best mark.

          As a result, the Ravens lead the NFL in points differential, outscoring opponents by 89 points this season. The Indianapolis Colts rank second with a plus-80 points differential.

          Four of the Ravens' five wins have been by at least 20 points. In fact, the Ravens' plus-61 points differential in the first half also ranks as the NFL's best mark (outscoring opponents 99-38 this season).

          So, is there any significance to leading the league in points differential? Last season, the teams that topped the NFL in this statistic (Denver and Seattle) met in the Super Bowl.

          In the past decade, the New England Patriots have led the NFL in points differential four times and the New Orleans Saints have done it twice. The Ravens have accomplished this once under coach John Harbaugh, and that was his first season (2008).

          The Ravens are one of six teams who rank in the top 10 in both most points scored and fewest points allowed.