When the New Orleans Saints host the Baltimore Ravens Monday night, the Saints will be looking to stay within one game of the NFC South division lead against one of the AFC’s best teams.
Baltimore comes into the game with extra momentum after pulling off a blockbuster trade last week, securing Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears for A.J. Klein and a pair of 2023 draft picks. While the Ravens were already excelling offensively this year, adding an All-Pro linebacker like Smith adds another layer to Baltimore’s already-tough defense.
New Orleans was not active during the trade deadline, but the Saints did recover from back-to-back losses to post a dominant 24-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week. New Orleans’s defense shut down the Raiders, holding the team under 250 yards of offense in a must-win situation.
With a national audience, will the Saints march on to their fourth victory of the season? Or will the Ravens end their night in the Big Easy with a victory?
What the Saints Need to Do to Win
New Orleans faces another defense geared toward stopping the run in Baltimore. The Ravens currently sit eighth in the league against the rush, holding opponents to under 96 yards per outing on average. Baltimore padded that total against Tampa Bay in their last outing, holding the Buccaneers to 44 yards rushing in a 27-22 victory.
New Orleans must establish the run, much like the team did in their game against Las Vegas. All-pro RB Alvin Kamara earned 62 yards on 18 rushes for New Orleans, while jack-of-all-trades athlete Taysom Hill slashed the defense for 61 yards on ten attempts.
If the Saints can establish the run, that opens up the passing game for short passes to Kamara and deeper looks for New Orleans QB Andy Dalton. The veteran signal-caller was an efficient 22-of-30 against the Raiders, finishing with 229 yards and two TDs. Dalton threw both TD passes to Kamara as the running back finished with nine catches for 96 yards against Las Vegas.
Dalton also found first-round draft pick Chris Olave multiple times last week, connecting five of his seven targets to the WR for 52 yards. Fellow rookie Rashid Shaheed caught three passes, including a 30-yard strike during the Saints’ first touchdown drive.
In addition to the offense needing a strong performance Monday night, the defense will have a different challenge in limiting former MVP Lamar Jackson and the run-first Baltimore offense. The Ravens are second in the league in rushing offense, netting over 165 yards each outing.
New Orleans will rely on their linebackers to make noise against the Ravens’ rushing attack. LB Pete Werner leads the team with 71 tackles in eight games this season. Fellow run-stopper Demario Davis is second in tackles with 43 but shares the team lead in sacks (5) and TFLs (7).
What Is Going to Happen
Both teams come into the game with momentum, but the Saints have more. New Orleans easily won their last outing, giving the Saints some confidence after dealing with early-season injuries thus far. In addition, the Saints seemingly have found their QB for the season as Dalton earned the start despite Jameis Winston’s status upgrade to active.
Much like the Raiders’ victory, expect New Orleans to control the clock with long scoring drives, keeping Baltimore off the field for as long as possible. While Jackson is an accurate passer, the Ravens QB will find little with Davis and DE Cameron Jordan constantly pressuring the backfield to stop the run.
Final Score: Baltimore 21, New Orleans 28
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