Ravens seek 4th win in 5 when they visit inconsistent Saints
The Baltimore Ravens seek to maintain their perch atop the AFC North and win for the fourth time in five games when they visit New Orleans in Week 9.
The Saints have struggled much of this season, but are coming off a confidence-building 24-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. That victory kept New Orleans one game behind Atlanta for first place in the NFC South. The Ravens have won five of seven meetings with the Saints and three of the past four.
This season the Ravens and Saints have had vastly different turnover numbers. Baltimore is plus-6 in that department while New Orleans is minus-9. Both teams have offenses ranked in the top 10 in yards per game.
BALTIMORE (5-3) at NEW ORLEANS (3-5)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Ravens by 2 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Ravens 4-4, Saints 3-5.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 5-2.
LAST MEETING: Saints beat Ravens 24-23 on Oct. 21, 2018, in Baltimore.
LAST WEEK: Ravens beat Buccaneers 27-22; Saints beat Raiders 24-0.
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (2), PASS (26), SCORING (5).
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (5), PASS (28), SCORING (20).
SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (8), PASS (8), SCORING (8).
SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (14), PASS (12t), SCORING (28).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Ravens plus-6; Saints minus-9.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Roquan Smith. Baltimore's big move at the trade deadline was to acquire Smith from Chicago. The NFL's leader in tackles should be a strong addition to a defense that's made strides of late.
SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Second-year defensive end Payton Turner, a 2021 first-round draft choice out of Houston, returned from a four-game absence last week and had two sacks.
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson vs. the Saints defensive front led by end Cameron Jordan. The Saints defensive linemen combined for four sacks last week, but New Orleans has struggled against QBs who can run such as Arizona's Kyler Murray. Jackson has rushed for 553 yards and two TDs this season.
KEY INJURIES: Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (foot) is expected to miss a few weeks and RB Gus Edwards (hamstring) is day to day. ... Baltimore activated LBs Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo, who have been out with Achilles tendon injuries. ... TE Mark Andrews was limited by shoulder issues against Tampa Bay. ... Saints running back Mark Ingram injured his knee last game. ... The Saints have played five games without WR Michael Thomas (foot), four games without WR Jarvis Landry (ankle) and three games without CB Marshon Lattimore (abdomen).
SERIES NOTES: The Ravens have won three of the past four including the previous time these teams met in the Superdome in 2014. The lone Saints victory during that span came when Justin Tucker missed a potential tying extra point kick.
STATS AND STUFF: The Ravens are 34-16 in prime time under John Harbaugh. ... Baltimore has led by double digits during every game so far this season. ... The Ravens have rushed for at least 150 yards in seven straight games. ... Baltimore LB Justin Houston has four sacks in the past two games. … The Ravens have forced at least one turnover in 10 straight games, the league's longest active streak. … Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson has 12 TD passes and no interceptions in five "Monday Night Football" starts. ... Justin Tucker of the Ravens has made 63 consecutive FGs in the fourth quarter and overtime. ... Jackson needs 14 yards rushing to pass Steve Young for fifth on the career list for QBs. ... The Ravens have allowed 100 points in the first three quarters and 83 in the fourth. ... Baltimore has not had a pass play of more than 35 yards since Week 2 and has only five completions of 30 yards or more all season. The Ravens have had six runs of 30 yards or more. ... Saints QB Andy Dalton completed 22 of 30 (season-high 73.3%) for 229 yards and two TDs with no turnovers for a season-high 117.2 rating last week. ... The Saints have averaged 407.2 yards in five games with Dalton at QB. ... Dalton has 4,507 yards passing vs. Ravens, most vs. any Baltimore opponent. ... WR Chris Olave leads all rookies in catches (37) and yards receiving (547). ... LB Pete Werner led the Saints with 11 tackles in Week 8, his third game with at least 10 tackles this season. ... S Tyrann Mathieu had his second interception of season last week. When Mathieu was playing for Kansas City last season, he had two interceptions in a game against the Ravens and returned one 34 yards for a TD.
FANTASY TIP: Alvin Kamara has 100-plus scrimmage yards in each of his past four games. Last week he had 158 yards from scrimmage, nine receptions for 96 yards, and scored three TDs.
