The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Indianapolis Colts to start their 2026 season, so it is no surprise that they are 8.5-point favorites in Week 2 (via FanDuel Sportsbook
).But the New Orleans Saints put up a surprising fight against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, losing by just one point in overtime. What looked like a Week 2 cakewalk against an NFC South team when schedules were released now could now be an early-season trap game.
Let’s set the scene. The Ravens are returning home from Indianapolis,
where they just began the Jesse Minter era with an emphatic 41-23 victory against a franchise hated by fans in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson looked like a three-time MVP, Derrick Henry rumbled all game long, and the defense forced two turnovers that led to offensive scores. Special teams delivered, too, anchored by strong return units and a perfect seven-for-seven game from Tyler Loop. The team has plenty of reasons to be confident heading into their Week 2 matchup with the Saints.
But New Orleans dropped 469 yards on Detroit’s defense on Sunday and converted 10 of their 19 third and fourth down attempts. They also scored in four of their five red zone trips and all four goal-to-go situations, which was a particular weakness of the Ravens defense in Indy. But Baltimore’s secondary is far better than Detroit’s, which allowed Tyler Shough to throw for 378 yards but also notched two interceptions. The Lions also sacked him five times.
Defensively, the Saints could not stop Jahmyr Gibbs on the ground – a good sign for Baltimore, who could lean on their rushing attack if Zay Flowers is sidelined. But Jared Goff averaged just 5.1 yards per passing attempt and the Lions struggled to get their receivers free for yards after the catch.
To be clear, the Ravens should still win this game handily. But they cannot take any opponent lightly, a trap into which past John Harbaugh squads often fell.
Postgame comments from Kyle Hamilton and Jesse Minter’s Monday press conference indicate that the team is laser-focused on their next task at hand.
Hamilton graded the defense’s performance as a “C-plus” in the locker room. When asked about a special celebration for Minter’s first win, he simply replied, “We get to play the Saints next week.”
“I love that,” Minter said on Monday when asked about his star safety’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 he felt the defense “let the [Colts] off the hook…in the red zone.”
Players and coaches could get asked about a potential trap game this week at the podium, and expect a similar line of response. Every team in the NFL is a threat – this is the league of Any Given Sunday. Vegas lines mean nothing once the ball is snapped (if they mean anything in the first place).
