Bold Predictions: Ravens at Saints

The (5-3) Ravens travel to New Orleans to take on the (3-5) Saints on Monday Night Football at the Caesars Superdome. The Ravens enter the game well rested after a 10-day break following their 27-22 win in Tampa on Thursday, October 27. Initially the Ravens were installed as a 3 ½ point favorite (over/under at 49) but due to some key injuries on offense Baltimore is now just a slight, 1 ½ point favorite. And perhaps influenced by the Ravens acquisition of Roquan Smith, the total has fallen to 47.

The Ravens sit atop the AFC North, followed closely by the Bengals who own a (4-4) record. This contest marks the Saints’ sixth home game of 2022, where they’re (2-3) so far. Some notes of interest:

Under head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are (34-16) in primetime matchups, producing the NFL’s second-best such winning percentage (.680) since his 2008 Baltimore arrival (second only to Seattle’s .698 mark). Included in this total is an (11-7) record on Monday Night Football. Fourteen of . Of these MNF games under Harbaugh, fourteen have been on the road where the Ravens hold an (8-6) mark.

• Vs. The Saints the Ravens are (5-2) all time and (2-0) in New Orleans
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Ravens last 5 games.
• Lamar Jackson has thrown 12 TD passes on MNF against 0 INT’s. He owns a 123.0 rating in these contests, posting 1,106 passing yards while adding 450 rushing yards and 2 TDs.

Tony Lombardi

The Ravens have an opportunity to go into their BYE week with a (6-3) record and remain atop The North when they return to The Bank on November 20 to host the Carolina Panthers. But they’ll have to be resourceful because they’ll take the field without a few key offensive players, namely Mark Andrews, Gus Edwards and Rashod Bateman. So how will it play out on Monday Night in The Big Easy?

• Lamar Jackson will keep his pick free MNF string alive. He’ll be a resourceful game manager while protecting the football and he’ll pressure the Saints defense throughout with his legs. Lamar will throw for 210 yards and 1 score, on another connection with Isaiah Likely. He’ll run for another 70 yards and a score.

• Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill will find the sledding difficult as they’ll combine for just 60 yards on 20 carries.

• The Ravens will register two sacks, one each from Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith.

The game will be low-scoring as both squads will struggle in the red zone. The difference in this game will come down to mistakes and special teams. The Saints own the league’s worst turnover ratio at (-9) while the Ravens have the NFL’s second-best at (+6). Meanwhile, the Saints are the third-most penalized team compared to the Ravens who rank 11th in the lightest load of yellow laundry category. On special teams the Ravens are the league’s best per Football Outsiders in DVOA Ratings while the Saints are 30th. Let’s just hope that John Harbaugh doesn’t opt to give the return duties to someone other than Devin Duvernay since he’ll assume WR1 status on Monday.

Mistakes and field position will be the difference in this one as Marcus Peters gets a 4th-Quarter pick to seal the deal and send the Ravens into the bye week with happy faces.

Ravens 23, Saints 17

[Related Article: Battle Plans, Ravens at Saints]

Darin McCann

This could be a tricker matchup than I think a lot of Ravens fans are giving it credit for, and that’s before taking into account concerning injuries to Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews and Gus Edwards. The Saints are fourth in the league offensively, generating nearly 400 yards a game, and they are 10th in defense — coming off a shutdown performance against the Raiders.

That being said, I do think the Ravens could find some success running at a Saints defense that is pretty middling against the run, and the Ravens’ own defense looks to be on the upswing these past few games, and that’s before acquiring Roquan Smith earlier this week, and appearing to bring back Tyus Bowser. Here are some predictions:

• Justice Hill has a big game on the ground, putting up 120 yards, including a touchdown run of more than 40 yards.

• Bowser recovers a fumble forced by our old friend Marlon Humphrey.

• Odafe Oweh tallies two sacks… because one day I will bask in the glory of getting this right.

• Lamar Jackson spreads the ball around, hitting six different pass-catchers in an efficient performance.

Ravens 23 Saints 20

Rob Shields

Coming off the mini bye, the Ravens play the Saints on Monday Night Football.  The Superdome will be loud and the Saints are battling for first place in the worst division in the NFL.

The hope with the mini bye was that the team would get healthy. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen on the offensive side of the ball. With Rashod Bateman now out for the year and Andrews and Edwards unlikely to play, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the offense.  Will DeSean Jackson play and make an impact?  Can Lamar spread the ball around and get it out quick again, like he did in Tampa? Can Kenyan Drake and Hill carry the run game for one week?

It’s a big ask but it’s possible and if Lamar can be Superman, they have a chance. The Saints defense has been pretty bad this year, so they may be able to exploit that even with the guys out, although that same defense is coming off of a shutout vs the Raiders.

Defensively, the team welcomes Roquan Smith to the starting lineup. With a week to get prepared, he will likely have some mistakes out there but hopefully he can help in stopping Kamara, who is coming off his biggest game of the year.

Andy Dalton has taken over at QB and the Saints offense has actually been good with him out there. They are scoring a lot of points with him. He’s getting rid of the ball quickly and getting it out to his speed guys, like by Kamara and Olave.

Taysom Hill has also caused a lot of matchup issues as of late.

This is a huge swing game for the Ravens. If they win, heading into their bye, they are 6-3 and should get pretty much everyone back by their next game on Nov 20. A loss, while it hurts, isn’t as crucial but in some ways it does erase the Tampa win and the euphoria that came from that.

I’m going to say the Ravens figure out a way to score enough points and that the defense does enough to slow them down.

Ravens 24 Saints 20

Derek Arnold

The Ravens’ win over the Bucs looked a little less impressive watching Tampa struggle yesterday after their own mini-bye. Despite some last-second Tom Brady heroics, that looked like a bad team for 59 and a half minutes. On the other side, yes, the Saints shut out the Raiders last week, but did you watch Vegas in Jacksonville yesterday? They’re also terrible!

Point being, I don’t think we can take too much from what we saw on the field from either of these teams the last time out. With the Ravens’ banged up stable of offensive weapons, paired with their improving, suddenly healthier, and having-a-stud ILB defense, up against with a decent-to-good New Orleans defense, I think we’re in for an ugly field position struggle. Duvernay, Justin Tucker, and Jordan Stout play huge parts tonight.

Ravens 16 Saints 14

Kevin McNelis

On paper, I feel like I should be a lot more optimistic entering this matchup than I am. Baltimore is the more rested team riding back-to-back wins and facing a Saints team that’s lost two of their last three games. That said, the Saints just shut out the Raiders, and New Orleans is a notoriously difficult place to play on the road. Add onto that the Saints are 30th in yards against over their last three games, and this could be tough sledding before the BYE. My main concern though, is of course, how injuries will complicate things.

• Bateman now being shelved for the season means Devin Duvernay is WR1. Even if Mark Andrews plays, it’s a tall order to ask that Duv step up and be the guy. Demarcus Robinson leads Baltimore in receiving yardage on the day.

• The Saints’ pass rush has been so-so to this point in the season, but Cam Jordan and Demario Davis are constant threats. They pressure Lamar from the outset and combine for four sacks.

• Gus doesn’t get the green light to play, and Kenyan Drake leads the backfield. This leads to a slow day on the ground for the Ravens as the offense sputters.

The new addition of Roquan Smith may help the Ravens flip the field, but this team looks beat up and exhausted as they limp into the BYE. I hope I’m wrong, but the vibe around the team’s health isn’t good right now.

Saints 20 Ravens 16

Nikhil Mehta

After their mini-bye, I am expecting the Ravens to take care of business on Monday night, even without Andrews and Bateman. The Saints aren’t whole, either, and the Ravens are the more talented team. It won’t be a cakewalk – after all, Andy Dalton is the opposing QB – but he won’t have Michael Thomas to throw to, nor will Marshon Lattimore shut down Devin Duvernay.

• There’s no better time for Roquan Smith to make his Ravens debut than Monday night against Alvin Kamara and the Saints. He and Patrick Queen will combine for 20 tackles, 4 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

• I also expect Tyus Bowser to suit up and make a few plays, albeit on a limited snap count.

• Justice Hill will burst through for a long touchdown and finish with 110 combined rushing and receiving yards.

• Lamar Jackson will have a relatively quiet day, but takes care of the ball to keep the Saints from getting free possessions.

• The Ravens take control early and don’t let up. The Saints strike back once or twice, but it’s not sustained enough to catch up to the Ravens.

Ravens 27 Saints 17

Chris Schisler

The Ravens game against the Saints is so interesting. Playing in the Superdome isn’t easy. The Ravens don’t have Mark Andrews. They just lost Rashod Bateman for the year. Demarcus Robinson was limited in practice with a groin injury. Yet after all of that, I see a big win for the Ravens.

Isaiah Likely will have another big day as a pass catcher. The Ravens will be able to run the football with Kenyan Drake, while they get a boost from Lamar Jackson’s legs as well. The offense will put up enough points to win this game. That’s because my real reason for confidence is the defense.

The Ravens defense just got better. Roquan Smith is going to be a huge catalyst for dominant defensive performances. The Ravens have a lot of memories to pay Andy Dalton back for. I believe they will get the deed done. Here’s some bold predictions

• Roquan Smith has an interception in his debut with the Ravens.

• Patrick Queen has two sacks and forces a Dalton fumble.

• Lamar Jackson will have 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. He’s going to connect with Likely for two scores in the air.

• The Ravens rush for 200 total yards

• Devin Duvernay gets involved in run game

Ravens 27 Saints 17

Chad Racine

The Ravens have a few things on their side entering this game. They’re riding a two game winning streak, a few days of extra rest and the addition of some new healthy players. Tyus Bowser, Roquan Smith and DeSean Jackson are all likely to play. Unfortunately they may have lost as many players as they have gained for this game. Will the backup offensive players be enough to get through a tough game Saints defense?

• Andy Dalton will remind Ravens fans he can be a thorn in their side. Chris Olave will be his A.J. Green for the night with 100 yards and a touchdown.

• Alvin Kamara will have more yards with receptions than rushing yards and a touchdown.

• Roquan Smith will make a game changing splash play of some sort. That could be an interception, sack or forced fumble. Not sure which just think he will make his presence known.

• Odafe Oweh will be the beneficiary of Tyus Bowser’s return with a sack. With Bowser taking the majority of the Sam Linebacker snaps Oweh can primarily focus on rushing the passer.

• Kenyan Drake will score the only Ravens touchdown.

• Lamar will have success running the ball with 80 yards rushing but will struggle in the red zone with no touchdown passes. He will pass for under 200 yards.

Ravens 19 Saints 17

Ron Toothe

Potentially the most unsure I’ll be about any Ravens game this year. Despite having 10 days of rest, they still enter this game severely beat up and in need of a bye. The Saints have their own injury woes at the same time, so perhaps they ultimately cancel each other out. Still though, no Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman or Gus Edwards is a lot to overcome for a full 60 minutes.

Normally the smart money would say that Lamar Jackson and company are a slam dunk in prime time, especially against a quarterback in Andy Dalton with an abysmal 6-18 prime time record. With that said, I think this game still ends up a lot closer than it should be. The combination of a fired up home crowd and the Ravens looking forward to a well-deserved week off feels like a classic slip up spot. I won’t go as far as to call it a loss though. When you have the leg of Justin Tucker at your disposal, you feel much better about those gritty games where you have to earn every inch. Four field goals and a second half touchdown ultimately wind up being enough to head into the week off with a win.

Ravens 19 Saints 17

Jared Pinder

The saints are so weird to figure out, man. They have sputtered at points but also have gone on stretches where they look dominant. They are coming off a game where they killed the Raiders, but honestly it might not have been as dominant as some think because of the Raiders bad O-line and Derek Carr making some really bone headed decisions. The Ravens should be able to pull away, but the offense has to play like they did in the second half of the Bucs game. The Ravens defense will be exciting with Roquan and Bowser coming back, and with Michael Thomas out for the season I think Ravens handle their business and win.

• The offense continues the good stretch as they dial into Duvernay as a jet sweep weapon.

• The defense gets Bowser back but not Ojabo. Still they have a great game and hold the Saints to less than 21 points.

Ravens 27 Saints 17

Brennan Stewart

I can’t help but feel a little bit shaky going into this Week 9 matchup against New Orleans. While both teams have a concerning number of injured players, Baltimore seems to be at the greater disadvantage without the likes of Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Gus Edwards on offense (with Demarcus Robinson sounding like a game-time decision as well). That being said, the Saints defense is nothing to underestimate either. Despite not having CB Marshon Lattimore or LB Chase Hansen available this week, its defensive line poses the greatest threat after pulling off four sacks on Derek Carr last week.

With all these things in mind, here are my bold predictions:

• The Saints will allow their most yards to the tight end position this game, with Isaiah Likely reaching at least 60 receiving yards.

• Roquan Smith will log a minimum of 1.5 sacks.

• Devin Duvernay will have a touchdown.

• Lamar Jackson will surpass 70 rushing yards in a run-heavy offensive scheme.

• Without Michael Thomas available, Alvin Kamara has his third game with over 75 rushing yards.

• It will be a close game, but the Saints will ultimately pull through in what will be a frustrating upset.

Saints 35 Ravens 27