What in the world is happening to New Orleans? The Saints’ nightmarish season just keeps on getting worse as they suffered a 27-10 humiliation at the hands of Cincinnati, their second defeat in a row at the Superdome. What was once a fortress for the Saints has now turned out to be a house of horrors for them.
They will look to avoid getting shut out in their three-game home stand when they face the Baltimore Ravens in a marquee Monday Night Football showdown. Can the Saints get their season back on track? Or will the Ravens pile more misery on them?
Read on for a complete preview of this all-important game and while you’re at it, you can check out our complete NFL Week 12 picks and predictions.
[sc:Football ]Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Preview
When: Monday, November 24, 8:30 PM ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Line: Baltimore Ravens (+3.5) at New Orleans Saints (-3.5); total: 50.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens delivered one of the finest defensive performances in their team’s history when they crushed the Tennessee Titans 21-7 last week to snap their two-game losing skid. Inspired by an emotional speech from Ladarius Webb, their most experienced secondary player, the Ravens finally displayed the defensive prowess that was sorely missing in their last two games.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Ravens were simply too much for the Titans as they recorded more sacks (5) than first downs allowed (4) from the second to fourth quarters. The Ravens were so dominant that they allowed just 45 total yards in the entire second half.
That is the kind of defensive mentality that they will need to bring when they face the Saints this coming Monday at the Superdome. This is actually the perfect time to face the Saints on the road as New Orleans have now lost back-to-back games there, the first time they have done so since 2009.
It’s worth noting that in the Ravens’ six victories this season, they have allowed an average of just 11.3 points per game. Compare that to their four defeats this campaign where opponents have scored an average of 28.3 points per outing.
If they want to win their seventh game this coming Monday, they will need to find a way to stop Drew Brees. Of course, it’s easier said than done considering that Brees is third among quarterbacks in passing (3,071 yards) and has already thrown 19 touchdowns this season (eighth-best in the NFL).
To make sure that Brees doesn’t get some sort of offensive rhythm, it is highly important for the Ravens to pressure him right from the get-go (just like what they did against Mettenberger last week) and not let him get comfortable inside the pocket. Fortunately for the Ravens, they have the perfect guy to do just that in Elvis Dumervil.
The outside linebacker has been exceptional for Baltimore this season already recording 10.5 sacks through the Ravens’ first 10 games this year, third-best in the entire NFL.
The Ravens are 2-3 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the New Orleans Saints
There’s no such thing as home field advantage for the New Orleans Saints anymore. For the second consecutive game, the Saints were upset in their own backyard as they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-10 in humiliating fashion Saturday to drop down to 4-6 in the team standings.
In a season full of lows, this was the Saints’ most disappointing loss yet as they produced atrocious performances on both sides of the field. Following the Bengals’ 24-3 loss to the Browns, it certainly looked like Cincinnati was right there for the picking but that definitely wasn’t the case as Drew Brees and co. struggled mightily against their opponents’ much-maligned defense.
Drew Brees completed 33 of 41 passes for only 255 yards, his second-worst mark of the season. To make matters worse, their running game was not functioning as well as they rushed for a paltry 75 yards against the Bengals. Mark Ingram had his three-game 100-yard rushing streak snapped as he only recorded 67 yards on 23 carries.
It was their defense, however, that was the main culprit in their defeat as they repeatedly failed to stop Andy Dalton and the Bengals particularly on their third down incursions. Dalton had 9 of 13 third down conversions, including a third-and-18, a third-and-11, and three third-and-8s on their opening touchdown drive which set the tone for the entire game.
Dalton’s performance is a far cry from his outing against Cleveland where he posted a passer rating of just 2.0. He looked like a totally different player against the Saints as he recorded an impressive passer rating of 143.9. It won’t get any easier for the Saints’ defense this coming Monday as they will next face a proven Super Bowl winner in Joe Flacco.
Flacco is 11th among starting quarterbacks in touchdown passes with 17 to his name this season. He is also 12th in the passing department, averaging 252.1 yards per game for the Ravens this year. With so much uncertainty surrounding New Orleans’ defense, the Saints may have to resort to an offensive shootout with the Ravens.
Brees will fancy his chances of doing just that as the Ravens are allowing 251.2 passing yards per game this season which is good for 21st in the NFL. That is good news for the Saints who are third in the league in passing this season with a 299.8 YPG clip.
The Saints are 2-3 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Saints (-3.5) crush the Ravens, 45-21.
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