The Ravens head into Week 2 with momentum, but also with a longer injury list than they’d like and weather that could tilt the game toward a grind. Baltimore rolled in its opener, giving the Jesse Minter era a clean start, and now the challenge is carrying that into Sunday against the Saints at M&T Bank Stadium.
The big picture is simple enough: the Ravens look like the better team on paper. The problem is that Sunday may not play out cleanly.
A handful of key names are either out or trending that way, while rain is expected to be part of the mix in Baltimore. That combination could push this game into a very different shape than the one fans might expect.
Baltimore will be without Zay Flowers, who was ruled out after re-aggravating the hamstring issue that followed him through training camp. Teddye Buchanan, Nnamdi Madubuike, and T.J.
Tampa were also trending toward being inactive earlier in the week. The biggest names to watch are Trey Hendrickson, John Simpson, and Ronnie Stanley, all of whom were limited in practice after appearing just once this week.
If any of them can’t go, Mike Green, Andrew Vorhees, and Carson Vinson would be in line for larger roles.
On the Saints’ side, the special teams picture is already shifting. Long snapper Zach Wood was placed on IR earlier this week, and standout specialist Isaiah Stalbird is unlikely to play.
New Orleans also has a few major injury situations to monitor, though the expectation is that Chris Olave and Chase Young will be active. Both were limited on Thursday and Friday, and both are dealing with hamstring issues, with Olave matching the injury concern that has already knocked Flowers out for Baltimore.
Christen Miller also landed on the injury report Friday, and his status is still unclear.
For Baltimore, the offensive plan may be dictated by circumstance as much as design. With the receiver room thinner and the pass protection potentially weakened if Simpson or Stanley can’t suit up, the safest path runs through the ground game.
Derrick Henry should be central to that approach, especially with rain expected throughout the game. Lamar Jackson also has a chance to lean back into the rushing threat that made him such a force, after showing signs of that in Week 1.
The line play remains another major issue. The offense produced plenty of fireworks last week, but the penalties kept undercutting big moments.
Vega Ioane erased two first downs with holding calls. Jovaughn Gwyn wiped a touchdown off the board with another holding penalty.
Ronnie Stanley was also flagged at times for false start and illegal formation. That sort of self-inflicted damage can’t keep showing up if Baltimore wants the offense to stay on schedule.
Defensively, the Ravens’ secondary will get a much stiffer test than it did in the opener. Against the Colts, Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey were locked in, while Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, and Jaylinn Hawkins were constantly around the ball.
That group looked fast, aggressive, and disruptive. Now comes a Saints passing game with Chris Olave and plenty of explosive-play potential, plus receiving threats out of the backfield in Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara.
Baltimore’s defensive backfield has already made a statement, but Week 2 will tell us more about how real that performance was.
There’s also the home-field piece. Baltimore went 3-6 at home in 2025, a number that hung over last season and left plenty of room for improvement.
This is the first chance for Minter’s staff to start changing that story in front of the home crowd. With the defense rolling, the offense built around physicality, and M&T Bank Stadium in the mix, the Ravens have the ingredients for a strong showing - if the injury report and the weather don’t complicate things too much.
Across the various prediction panels, the Ravens are the popular pick. ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado, Eric Moody, and Seth Walder all went with Baltimore.
NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman, Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice, Bobby Kownack, and Dan Parr did the same. Bleacher Report was split, with Gary Davenport, Brady Gagnon, Kris Knox, Moe Moton, and Ian Hanford choosing the Saints, while Brent Sobleski and Wes O’Donnell backed the Ravens.
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For a team built to start fast, the health of those names matters on both sides of the ball, especially with the Saints coming next. Baltimore is still sorting through the bumps and bruises of the first week, and the questions around Flowers, Simpson, Stanley and Trey Hendrickson give this matchup a more uneasy feel than the Ravens likely hoped for this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]