Yuck. Props to you if you stayed up on a Monday night to watch the New Orleans Saints trip over themselves in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens — and even more respect if you were among the crowd packing the Caesars Superdome for the Saints’ most dispiriting loss of the season.
The game was never really close, with Baltimore sprinting out to an early 11-point lead and never relinquishing control. The Saints weren’t able to move the ball with consistency on the ground or through the air on offense, and while their defense pressured Lamar Jackson throughout the evening the former league MVP had little trouble navigating the pocket to convert long downs. It was hard to watch, and it was a massive step backwards after last week’s false promise of a turnaround. Let’s break it down further.
Final score: Ravens 27, Saints 13
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Baltimore | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
| New Orleans | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Injury outlook
- Starting center Erik McCoy went down in the first half with a calf injury, and was initially evaluated on the sidelines before being moved to the locker room. The Saints later said he would be questionable to return.
- Weakside linebacker Pete Werner was escorted to the locker room on a medical trainer’s cart with his right shoe off, and later announced as questionable to return with an ankle injury.
- Defensive end Marcus Davenport also left the game with a calf injury, initially receiving attention on the sideline before walking to the locker room. The team said he was questionable to return.
It was over when...
Any hope of finishing this game with some dignity was snuffed out when the Saints settled for a field goal down 14 points in the third quarter, cutting that deficit to 11 points — meaning they still needed multiple scores just to make it competitive. That decision was a coward’s call. It made the margin, well, marginally thinner without doing a thing to help their chances to win. The Saints should have tried to push for a touchdown there. Instead, they kicked a meaningless field goal, and the Ravens punished them for it a few minutes later with another score of their own.
Saints' top performers
- Passing: QB Andy Dalton completed 19 of 29 attempts for 210 yards, throwing 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception while being sacked 4 times for a loss of 28 yards
- Rushing: RB Alvin Kamara recorded 9 carries for 30 rushing yards, with his longest attempt gaining 10 yards
- Receiving: WR Chris Olave was targeted 9 times, catching 6 receptions to gain 71 receiving yards, with his longest reception gaining 16 yards
- Defense: S Marcus Maye was credited with 11 tackles (8 solo) … LB Demario Davis recorded 7 tackles (5 solo, 2 tackles for loss) and 1 sack
What's next?
This isn’t going to get easier. The Saints have to fly out on a short week for a cold-weather game against the Pittsburgh Steelers; forecasters predict a high of 36 degrees Fahrenheit, but it’s looking too dry for snow. What’s more concerning is that the Steelers defense will be welcoming back a Defensive Player of the Year favorite in T.J. Watt after he missed time with an injury.
