The Ravens will play their first home game of the 2026 season this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Here are five things to know about the Saints.
Saints are knocking on the door.
The Saints haven't made the playoffs since 2020, which was Drew Brees' last NFL season. It's the franchise's longest playoff drought since Brees' arrival in 2006.
Twenty years later, the Saints are a sneaky pick to win a muddy NFC South, whose division champion has won single-digit games in three of the past four seasons. The Saints began last season 2-10 before winning five of their last six games, including four straight in December. Against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, New Orleans rallied from a 21-0 third-quarter deficit to force overtime but couldn't convert a potential game-winning two-point conversion, losing 31-30.
A major factor in the Saints' rebound last year (and on Sunday) is someone who not only represents the franchise's brightest hope at quarterback since Brees' retirement, but had a fascinating career path to the NFL – Tyler Shough.
Shough can sling it.
Shough has always seemed to find a way.
His true freshman season at Oregon was in 2018, where he was Justin Herbert's backup. Shough spent three seasons there, then another three at Texas Tech. Each of his three seasons in Lubbock were shortened by injury – a broken collarbone, a shoulder injury, and a broken leg. He then spent his final season at Louisville, where he led the Cardinals to the ACC title game. The Saints picked Shough in the second round of last year's NFL Draft, and he took over as the starting quarterback in Week 8.
That never-say-die attitude carried over into the NFL. Although the Saints lost four of their next five games, Shough led them to four straight wins, including comeback victories over the Panthers and Titans in which Shough combined to complete 78% of his passes for 605 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.
Last Sunday, Shough got off to a rough start against the Lions, but once again, he didn't give up. In fact, he flipped the script entirely.
- First eight drives: 10-of-23, 85 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, one fumble lost
- Last six drives: 25-of-34, 325 yards, three touchdowns, no turnovers
Along with the aforementioned comeback wins over Tennessee and Carolina and the near comeback against Detroit, Shough made a handful of clutch plays in a win over the Buccaneers last season. The week prior, he almost led a 16-point comeback against the Dolphins before ultimately coming up just short.
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver, who held the same position the past two seasons with the Dolphins from 2024-25, holds Shough in high regard. He compared him to Buffalo Bills MVP Josh Allen.
"I was impressed with him then as a rookie," Weaver said. "Has all the arm talent in the world [and] can run. I don't think he gets enough credit for how good [of] an athlete he is. … Sky's the limit for the kid."
Where Shough has run into trouble is when he's been pressured. He had the second-highest pressure-to-sack ratio in the NFL last year among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, according to Pro Football Focus.
Last week, he was pressured 22 times and sacked five times. That might spell bad news against a Ravens defense that tallied the league's highest pressure rate in Week 1 (52.9%).
Shough has proved that he can beat defenses with his arm and create positive plays with his legs, especially in crunch time. But if the Ravens' pass rushers live in the backfield like they did against the Colts, Shough could be in for a long afternoon.
When healthy, Chris Olave is one of the NFL's best wideouts.
Ohio State produced a trove of elite NFL wideouts for decades, and Olave is one of them.
In all three seasons in which he's played at least 10 games, Olave has crossed 1,000 receiving yards. Last week, he had 10 receptions for 182 yards (both of which were league-highs), including a spectacular leaping catch late in the fourth quarter that set up the game-tying touchdown.
Olave was limited in Thursday's practice due to a hamstring injury. Also of note is that Olave wore a Guardian Cap for the first time on Sunday, as he's suffered five known concussions since college and reportedly considered retirement in 2024.
"You all know the head injuries I've had in my career," Olave told reporters after Sunday's game. "So it was just a decision I've made. Shoot, I got kids now. I want to be able to live the long game, it's not all about football. I want to live regular life after football."
The rest of Shough's supporting cast is solid but has questions.
The Saints made a couple of big-time free agent signings over the offseason in hopes of bolstering a rushing attack that finished 31st in yards per attempt last season. One was running back Travis Etienne, who had at least 1,300 scrimmage yards in three of four seasons with the Jaguars, and guard David Edwards, who was a solid starter in four seasons with the Rams and three seasons with the Bills.
The early returns left room for improvement. Saints running backs had just 85 rushing yards on 20 carries against the Lions, although that's partly because of a pass-heavy game script in the second half.
As for Shough's other pass-catching weapons besides Olave, Devaughn Vele is an exciting young talent who made a couple of diving catches against the Lions, including a sprawling two-hander for a touchdown after shaking Lions cornerback Rock-Ya Sin at the line of scrimmage.
Tight end Juwan Johnson, who's entering his eighth NFL season (all with New Orleans), made a couple of big-time catches last week, including the game-tying touchdown with 67 seconds left in regulation. He had 889 receiving yards on 77 catches last year, both of which were career highs.
The Saints had one of the NFL's better defenses last year and could repeat their success, although they struggled a bit against the Lions.
With former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley taking over as the Saints' defensive coordinator in 2025, the Saints' defense finished No. 10 in expected points added (EPA) per play.
Last week, the Saints struggled to contain Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who tallied 156 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 5.4 yards per carry. That could set up for a strong day by Derrick Henry.
A few Saints defenders had quality individual performances, though, and will be ones to watch against the Ravens. Linebacker Kaden Elliss, who was drafted by the Saints and led the Falcons in tackles over the past two seasons, had three quarterback hits and one pass defensed. Longtime outside linebacker Carl Granderson had a sack, and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, whose 17 passes defensed tied for the third-most in the NFL last season, had another against the Lions.
Finally, outside linebacker Chase Young had a game-changing play early in the second quarter, but it was overturned. He forced a fumble after drilling Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and safety Jonas Sanker picked up the loose ball for a touchdown. But officials ruled that, since Goff had started his throwing motion before Young jarred the ball loose, and the pass was ruled incomplete.
Young, a Maryland native who was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by Washington, had a combined 19 tackles for loss and 36 quarterback hits across the 2024 and 2025 seasons with New Orleans.
