Ravens' First Loss in New Era Feels All Too Familiar
Protecting leads and protecting their house was a point of emphasis for the Ravens in a new era under first-year Head Coach Jesse Minter. In Sunday's home opener against the New Orleans Saints, they were unable to do either.
The Ravens (1-1) led by 11 points late in the second quarter but were outscored 18-3 in the second half, including 15-0 in the fourth quarter, en route to a 24-17 loss to the Saints (1-1), who were 8.5-point underdogs.
Baltimore did not trail until Saints quarterback Tyler Shough's controversial 1-yard touchdown plunge with 1:28 remaining in the game. Since 2019, the Ravens have lost 15 games in which they had a double-digit lead, the most in the NFL in that span.
It was the Ravens' fourth straight defeat at M&T Bank Stadium and the seventh loss in their past 10 games there. Here's what pundits had to say about the defeat:
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: "Ravens fans won't want to hear this, but this was a performance straight out of last year. Minter talked all summer about his team being at its best when its best is required, and the Ravens certainly weren't Sunday, particularly on defense. Allowing two fourth-quarter touchdown drives when you hadn't allowed a touchdown all game is a brutal ending and conjures memories from 2025. It's only two weeks, but this certainly doesn't paint a great picture."
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer: "The Ravens' late-game follies have reached almost tragicomic depths. How many other teams with this much talent, this much promise, have steadied themselves amid turbulence over the first three quarters of a game, only to suffer one spectacular pratfall after another in the fourth quarter? … Lamar Jackson had put his hands to his helmet and shaken his head in disbelief after his decisive interception floated into the hands of Colts safety Julian Blackmon. Fans streamed for the exits, another afternoon in Baltimore ruined. New season. New coach. Same ol' Ravens."
The Baltimore Sun’s C.J. Doon: "There's really no sugarcoating squandering an 11-point lead at home. It's especially frustrating when Minter's predecessor was shown the door largely because he couldn't close out victories after strong starts."
Baltimore Beatdown’s Dustin Cox: "The euphoric high of the new coaching staff lasted just one game for the Ravens as the team squandered yet another fourth-quarter lead against a team they had no business losing to. … The season is long and losses like these are bound to happen, even to the best teams, but this is still a disappointment for a team looking to exorcise demons from failing to close these types of games in years past."
Ravens Weren't Good Enough in Any Phase of the Game
It wasn't any one thing that cost the Ravens the game. They didn't play well enough in any phase, especially in the second half.
Here's a breakdown:
Offense
The Ravens, who scored 41 points in the Week 1 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, had little problem moving the ball in the first half. Despite not having wide receivers Zay Flowers (hamstring) and Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist), the Ravens had 228 total yards and 13 first downs.
After going three-and-out on their opening drive, the Ravens scored a touchdown, missed a field goal that was blocked, and scored another touchdown on their three other possessions in the half.
A Tyler Loop 49-yard field goal on the Ravens' first possession of the second half gave them a 17-9 lead with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter. They wouldn't score again.
After the Saints pulled even at 17-17 with 9:42 left in the game, the Ravens made an aggressive play call that didn't work out.
"Rookie Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle's play calling deserves scrutiny, especially his decision to dial up a deep shot on third-and-1 in the second half," The Baltimore Sun’s Josh Tolentino wrote. "Lamar Jackson's pass to Chris Moore fell incomplete, leaving an obvious question: Why not hand the ball to tailback Derrick Henry, who totaled 16 rushes for 68 yards with one touchdown?"
Zrebiec said the call "underscored the team's seeming reluctance to ride running back Derrick Henry in the second half."
"Henry had 11 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown, plus two receptions for 22 yards, in the first half alone," Zrebiec wrote. "He got only five more carries the rest of the game, a recipe that never seems to work out for Baltimore."
It's fair to question the decision to throw a deep pass on thirdand-1 rather than running the ball, but Henry's lack of carries in the second half is somewhat misleading. Henry ran the ball four times for 15 yards on the Ravens' opening drive in the third quarter, so it's not as if the Ravens abandoned the run.
The Ravens' ensuing drive began with a false start and was followed by a 3-yard loss on a pass to Henry, and then a sack of Jackson that put them in third-and-26. Henry had one carry on the next drive, which ended with the incomplete pass to Moore on 3rd-and-1.
The Saints then marched 68 yards on 16 plays for the winning score. The Ravens got the ball back at their own 29-yard-line with 1:21 remaining and no timeouts. They had to be in pass mode at that point.
Some pundits are questioning whether the Ravens should have gone for it on fourth-and-1 after the incomplete deep shot to Moore. The ball was at the Ravens' own 37-yard line.
Defense
The Ravens held the Saints to three field goals entering the fourth quarter, but then allowed two clock-eating touchdown drives. New Orleans dominated the time of possession in the quarter, 12:09-2:51.
"Saints quarterback Tyler Shough went 12-for-14 for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens' much-hyped secondary over the game's final 15 minutes — almost as many passing yards as he had over the first three quarters combined (133)," Shaffer wrote. "He wasn't sacked in that period despite losing starting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., and he did just enough to convince the officials he'd broken the plane on a controversial, go-ahead, goal-line sneak with 88 seconds remaining."
Special teams
"Anthony Levine Sr.'s special teams group had a Loop 49-yard field goal blocked in the first half and then allowed a 53-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter that all but gave the Saints three points before halftime," Zrebiec wrote. "That's a six-point difference. The Ravens got nothing from their return game, either."
It wasn't a great game for rookie punter Ryan Eckley either after a strong debut last week. He averaged only 41.3 yards per punt and failed to put any inside the 20-yard line. After the Ravens' three-and-out in the fourth quarter, Eckley had a 40-yard punt.
Penalties
"After a poor showing in Week 1, the Ravens struggled again, with seven penalties for 34 yards," Press Box’s Antonio Barbera wrote. "While the yardage isn't a lot, the penalties came at inopportune moments, such as the Saints' failed two-point conversion attempt to tie the game in the fourth quarter. The Saints got a second shot from the 1-yard line after Jaylinn Hawkins committed a holding penalty on the first attempt."
Pundits Question Ruling on Saints' Game-Winning Touchdown
The most talked-about play was Shough's 1-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down being ruled a touchdown and then being upheld upon review.
Inside linebacker Roquan Smith went airborne in an attempt to stop Shough, who appeared to lose the ball after contact. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey snatched the loose ball.
NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth explained the ruling to pool reporter Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
"That touchdown will be tough to swallow," Doon wrote. "It looked like Tyler Shough might have been short of the goal line, but linebacker Roquan Smith also grabbed his facemask and wrenched it backward. That penalty isn't reviewable, but if the officials saw it, it would have led to a fresh set of downs, perhaps just delaying the inevitable."
Pundits weighed in on the controversial ruling on social media:
Rashod Bateman 'Performed Like Ravens' No. 1 Receiver'
One of the bright spots for the Ravens was how well wide receiver Rashod Bateman played with Flowers and Lane sidelined
"Bateman performed like Baltimore's No. 1 receiver for most of the afternoon," Tolentino wrote. "His seven catches and 88 yards led the team, and his crisp 22-yard touchdown on his in-breaking route gave the Ravens a 14-3 advantage late in the first half.
"The oft-criticized Bateman deserves credit for embracing the heavier workload. He created separation and attacked the football, while his touchdown offered a glimpse of the polished, assertive target Doyle's offense needs from him all season to fully thrive."
NFL Intends to Proceed With Ravens-Cowboys Game in Rio de Janeiro Amid Concerns About Field
Next up for the Ravens is a game against the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but there are concerns about the quality of the field at Maracanã Stadium, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
"From rain to a significant number of soccer matches (with one more happening on Sunday), there are potential problems," Florio wrote. "The NFL is taking steps, we're told, to ensure that the field will be ready to host the game in only [seven] days."
Florio said the NFL intends to proceed with the game.
"Via Mark Maske of Front Office Sports, a league spokesperson said Sunday that (quoting Maske not the spokesperson) 'the league is looking forward to the game in Rio and, as with all international games, it has a plan in place to ensure a high-quality playing surface,'" Florio wrote.
