The Baltimore Ravens are back in a familiar place: staring at another blown double-digit lead and another ugly home loss.
In the first home game of rookie head coach Jesse Minter’s tenure, Baltimore let a 14-3 advantage slip away and fell 24-17 to the Saints. Tyler Shough and Chris Olave led the second-half surge, and the Ravens are now 1-1 with the same old questions hanging over them - especially around general manager Eric DeCosta’s roster construction and the offensive line.
Baltimore’s problems started up front and never really stopped. The line struggled in pass protection again, limiting any chance for Lamar Jackson to push the ball downfield.
That was before Ronnie Stanley’s toe injury, which had already nearly kept him out, forced him from the game late in the third quarter. Once Stanley exited, Carson Vinson came in without an NFL start to his name, and New Orleans quickly attacked the middle and closed in on Jackson.
The Saints kept finding ways to stress the Ravens’ interior, using twist games and bringing edge rushers inside. Jovaughn Gwyn was exposed at center, especially when New Orleans loaded the A gap. Derrick Henry never got much room to work, and he barely saw the ball in the second half.
The Ravens had talked up their revamped offensive line all offseason, but the early results have not matched the hype. With a $365M payroll, the lack of investment up front could end up costing them again.
The team may need Ethan Pocic ready soon, and if Stanley misses time, Baltimore may also need a veteran swing tackle. Undrafted rookie Gerad Lichtenhan is getting close to becoming a real factor.
Jackson’s night was built around short throws and quick decisions, not explosive shots. He completed passes to seven different targets in the first half after hitting nine pass catchers in Week 1, and the offense mostly kept the ball between 10 and 15 yards downfield. Devontez Walker provided the one notable deep connection on an under-center play-action look, but the Ravens didn’t generate enough yards after the catch out of the horizontal game.
New Orleans had the better answers as the game wore on. Shough went 12-for-14 for 119 yards, while Olave caught all five of his fourth-quarter targets for 54 yards and a touchdown.
The Saints ran 25 plays for 138 yards in the final quarter, dominated on third downs, and scored 15 points to finish the comeback. One of the key sequences came on a controversial fourth-and-goal rush from Shough.
Minter’s coverage plan also came under the microscope. He leaned into dime again, even though Shough has been far better against that look than nickel in his career.
Early on, the numbers told the story: when the game was 14-9, the Ravens had played 15 dime snaps and New Orleans had piled up 137 yards, while the Saints had only 34 yards on 19 nickel snaps. Baltimore shifted more toward nickel after halftime, and the defense did get a strong third-quarter stop with pressure from four and Mike Green’s first sack of the season.
But on third-and-five with the Ravens up 17-9, Minter put rookie slot corner Chandler Rivers on the field in his first NFL game, and Shough hit Olave for 12 yards before finishing that drive with a touchdown to the same receiver.
Special teams added to the mess. Tyler Loop’s first kick was tipped and went wide from 49 yards, and he later didn’t drive a first-half kickoff deep enough, helping set up a long Saints return and a big field goal before halftime that cut the lead to 14-9.
Loop has now missed four kicks in this stadium this summer, including the preseason. Baltimore also moved veteran Jake Moody off the practice squad after Loop’s Week 1 showing, and Moody did enough to make it clear the team has a backup plan if needed.
Chris Moore had a scare on a second-half return when the ball was stripped away, but replay showed his knee was down first. Moore has been asked to do a lot with the receiver injuries piling up, and the Ravens may need to get serious about adding a veteran wideout soon.
In Other News...
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Ravens Still Haven't Escaped Their Most Frustrating Late-Game Problem
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Baltimores defense gave up the decisive surge, and the offense never steadied things enough to slow it down, with Derrick Henry not getting enough involved as the fourth quarter wore on. The coaching staff under Jesse Minter is still working through its adjustments, but until the Ravens find a better way to close, these losses are going to keep feeling awfully familiar. [Read more 🡒]