New Orleans NEW ORLEANS Baltimore Ravens (6-3) have won their third straight and fourth of their last five games by securing the 27-13 win against their rivals, the New Orleans Saints which boosted their lead over their division in the AFC North.
Baltimore’s defense dominated the game, scoring four sacks which included 2.5 from Justin Houston.
The Saints (3-6) have suffered defeat in three of four games.
The Raven’s defense put together their most dominant display of the season just when the team needed it most. The Ravens stopped the Saints to only 243 yards, which is the lowest in New Orleans this season.
Outside linebacker Justin Houston delivered 2.5 sacks as well as an interception in the fourth quarter. Houston became the only player in Ravens history to have three consecutive games of multiple sacks. Houston played as the Ravens’ best player as the defense did not concede a touchdown until after 4 minutes were left in the game.
This was a well-timed effort by the defense since their offense is severely messed up. Lamar Jackson played without Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews (inactive with knee and shoulder injuries) The No. number 1 wide receiver Rashod Bateman (out for the season because of a foot injury) along with his best two runners (J.K. Dobbins is placed on injured reserve due to an injury to his knee while Gus Edwards was inactive with an injury to his hamstring). However, the Ravens beat the Bengals for the third consecutive game, and go into the bye with a one-game advantage against the Cincinnati Bengals for the first spot within the AFC North.
Pivotal game: Houston’s interception in the fourth quarter. With just 8:24 remaining in the game it was the Ravens who secured their fourth win in five games using the kind of game-closing play that they had not seen throughout the season. The defensive end Brent UrbKan deflected Andy Dalton’s pass and Houston took over the intercept. Baltimore quickly turned that mistake into Kenyan Drake’s 2nd touchdown run, leading Baltimore’s Ravens to a lead of 27-6. Baltimore played their 11th consecutive game that featured forced turnovers which is the longest continuous streak of any team in the NFL. Houston was the only player ever in Ravens history to score 2.5 interceptions and sacks during one game.
Trends that are promising: The Ravens continue to be among the most efficient teams to start games of the NFL. Baltimore was one of the teams to be leading by double figures at any point of the first nine games of a season, since 2011. Green Bay Packers as per ESPN Stats & Information research. The Ravens are the only team to accomplish this feat within the last 20 years and join in 2009 with the New Orleans Saints and 2011 Packers -each of which began the season with a 9-0 record. This shows that to Ravens were to have a perfect start if they had not suffered three fourth-quarter collapses.
The silver lining is that Jackson had the ball thrown around. With his two top players -Bateman and Andrews Andrews Bateman and Andrews Bateman Jackson were more unpredictable when passing the ball. He struck eight different players in his first eight throws and ended with throws at 10 different players setting the record for most throws in a season. Andrews and Bateman made up 39 percent of the Raven’s receiving attempts in their first 8 games and even though Baltimore may be more defensive without these two players but the Ravens were more even without the two.
Unknown statistic: Jackson is the second player in NFL history to score 100 passing touchdowns as well as 20 rushing touchdowns prior to reaching the age of 26, along with Josh Allen. Both were drafted by the NFL in 2018.
The Saints (3-6) believed they’d turned the corner after their impressive victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Instead, they were met with disappointment in their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at prime time.
A lot of the same issues that the Saints had to face earlier in the season resurfaced. The quarterback Andy Dalton struggled, and the offensive line wasn’t able to protect Dalton in particular following losing center Erik McCoy to injury. Dalton certainly did not help his future prospects as the Saint’s quarterback starting position when he threw an intercept in the final moments or was assisted by the Saint’s run game which was not a success against Raven’s defense. New Orleans scored just 48 yards.
The Saints generally did not have a chance to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who made numerous amazing plays to avoid the line all night. The Saints must rest for a week against their rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers up next on the road.
QB breakdown Saints Coach Dennis Allen has committed to Dalton as the quarterback for as long as his offense was functioning, and it certainly did not take a huge step back to face the Ravens. Dalton had to play a major game to show his three interceptions during prime time. his fellow Cardinals during Week 7 weren’t an accident, instead, the offense continued to struggle. Dalton nearly doubled his season sacks and was then picked from the game in the final quarter. Dalton will also be disappointed to miss an open Marquez Callaway on the line of scrimmage toward the close of the first half. Callaway scored 5.95 yards in separation in the play which is only the second error this season for an end zone pass with more than 5 miles of distance.
A troubling trend: The injury bug came back to attack the Saints yet again, with McCoy and linebacker Pete Werner, and the defensive lineman who started Marcus Davenport all going down due to injuries. The Saints are short-handed throughout the season long, especially when it comes to the offensive end of the field, and it would be a major blow in the event that all three are absent for any length of time. Werner’s departure Werner is the one who would be most affected since he’s taken massive leaps ahead in his second year and has been an essential player in the defense.
A statistic that is often overlooked: Dalton has a .231 winning percentage in the prime of time (6-20) this is the worst ever for a quarterback prior to 2000. Kerry Collins is 5-16 for a .238 percent.
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