The Ravens walked out of Indianapolis with a statement win and walked right into the kind of Week 2 spot that can make a team blink.
Baltimore is a hefty 8.5-point favorite over the Saints, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, after opening the season with a 41-23 win over the Colts. On paper, that makes sense. Lamar Jackson looked every bit like a three-time MVP, Derrick Henry kept the chains moving, the defense forced two turnovers that turned into points, and special teams held up its end of the bargain with strong return work and a perfect seven-for-seven outing from Tyler Loop.
Still, the Saints made things a lot more interesting than expected in Week 1. They pushed the Lions to overtime before falling by a point, and they did it while piling up 469 yards against Detroit.
New Orleans also converted 10 of 19 third- and fourth-down chances, scored on four of five red zone trips, and finished all four of its goal-to-go opportunities. That’s the kind of efficiency that can turn a routine home game into an early-season headache.
Baltimore’s defense is a different challenge than Detroit’s, though. The Ravens’ secondary is much stronger than the unit the Saints saw in Week 1, even if the Lions did allow Tyler Shough to throw for 378 yards while also picking him off twice and sacking him five times. New Orleans also had no answer for Jahmyr Gibbs on the ground, which matters for a Ravens team that could lean heavily on its rushing attack if Zay Flowers is sidelined.
There are reasons to think Baltimore should still handle business. Jared Goff averaged just 5.1 yards per pass attempt, and Detroit struggled to create much separation or much after the catch. The Saints showed fight, but they also showed plenty of openings.
That’s why this has the feel of a classic trap-game setup: a good team coming home after a big opener, facing an opponent that already showed it can hang around. Past John Harbaugh teams have occasionally stumbled into this kind of spot, and the Ravens know better than to treat any Sunday like a formality.
The message coming out of the locker room suggests they do.
Kyle Hamilton graded the defense’s opener as a “C-plus” and, when asked about celebrating Jesse Minter’s first win, kept it short: “We get to play the Saints next week.”
“I love that,” Minter said Monday when asked about Hamilton’s grade. “Look, we have capabilities of being really good.
We didn’t start the way we wanted to. We responded really well.
We can play a lot better in the red zone, and a lot of that is with me and some of the things that we were doing. So, we are just chasing the best version of us.”
Later, Minter said the defense “let the [Colts] off the hook…in the red zone.”
That kind of response is exactly what Baltimore wants this week: no distraction, no celebration tour, no looking ahead. Just the next opponent, the next snap, and the next chance to avoid turning a favorable line into a problem.
In Other News...
Ravens Fans Got The Zay Flowers Update They Needed
Zay Flowers early exit from Week 1 raised the usual alarm for Ravens fans, but the latest update offered some reassurance. The second-year receiver is day-to-day after suffering a hamstring injury against the Indianapolis Colts, and the team did not push the issue once Baltimore had built a comfortable lead. It was the kind of precautionary move teams make when they can afford to think beyond one game.
Jesse Minter confirmed Flowers status ahead of Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, keeping the door open for a quick return while still leaving the Ravens with a little uncertainty to monitor. Hamstrings can be tricky, even when the initial concern is mild, so Baltimore will be watching closely as the week unfolds. For now, the news is as good as the Ravens could have reasonably hoped for after watching one of their top playmakers head to the sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens May Not Have Much Time To Solve This WR Problem
The Ravens are still navigating a thin wide receiver room in mid-September, and the lack of a veteran addition has only sharpened the sense that this is a spot worth watching. Head coach Jesse Minter has acknowledged the possibility of going outside the building, but for now the focus remains on internal options and on handling injured players carefully as the team tries to keep the offense from getting too stretched.
Even with the season already underway, Baltimore may not be able to let the issue linger much longer. Several veteran receivers are being floated as possible additions to the roster or practice squad, and the next move could say a lot about how urgently the Ravens view the problem. For a team trying to stay balanced on offense, the question is whether help arrives soon enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Moore Just Made The Ravens Roster Decision A Lot Harder
Chris Moore gave the Ravens a lot to think about in their Week 1 game against the Colts, handling the primary kick return duties and flashing as a receiver when he got his chance. He finished with four kick returns for 121 yards and added a 53-yard catch, a showing that lined up with the kind of all-purpose value Baltimore can always use when the roster starts to tighten up.
Jesse Minter made clear he noticed the impact, and Moores 174 all-purpose yards only sharpened the question of whether his performance was enough to push him toward the 53-man roster. With another wide receiver dealing with an injury, the Ravens suddenly have a tougher call to make about whether Moores special teams spark and playmaking on offense are enough to earn him a longer stay. [Read more 🡒]