The New Orleans Saints were looking to grab their first win of the 2026 regular season on Sunday as they paid a visit to the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s a full recap of all the action.
First Quarter
The hosts began the game by going three-and-out, but the Saints only managed a short series of their own as Tyler Shough was sacked on 3rd down in his own half.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense got going after that. He found Mark Andrews, Derrick Henry, and Rashod Bateman for big gains en route to the red zone. Henry did
the rest of the work on the ground from there, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 7-0 advantage.
Penalties hampered the visitors’ efforts on their ensuing drive, but Shough did find Devaughn Vele to move the drive near midfield before the quarter’s end.
Second Quarter
The Saints were quickly in 3rd-and-long territory back in their own half after having to recover their own fumble and were forced to punt.
Jackson then connected with Devontez Walker for 47 yards to overcome poor field position, before finding LaJohntay Wester for 14 more.
But a big sack from Chase Young helped limit the series to a field goal attempt from 49 yards out, which Carl Granderson was able to block to keep the score at 7-0.
Shough had his first chunk play of the afternoon on the ensuing possession, finding Vele for 29 yards. A few plays later, he found Olave for 11 more, as Alvin Kamara also had a few short gains on the ground in his season debut.
The Ravens defense was able to keep New Orleans out of the end zone, but a 23-yard chip shot from Daniel Carlson got the visitors on the board.
With less than 4 minutes on the clock as they regained possession, Jackson and Henry began to run at will. The Saints defense was quickly pegged deep into their own territory before Bateman caught a 22-yard touchdown pass to extend the hosts’ lead to 14-3 just before the half.
However, despite having just 24 seconds to work with, Barion Brown returned the kickoff near midfield to give the Saints a chance.
Shough would then connect with Vele to reach field goal range, and Carlson was good from 47 yards as time expired.
Third Quarter
Travis Etienne Jr began the half with an 8-yard run, and a 25-yard pass a few plays later from Shough to Juwan Johnson moved the Saints into Baltimore territory.
New Orleans had no luck from there, though, and settled for another field goal. Carlson’s 51-yard kick cut the lead to 14-9.
After nearly fumbling on the kickoff return, Baltimore embarked on a mammoth 14-play drive that went for just 37 yards. A mix of third-down conversions and offensive penalties resulted in an extended possession that never got near the end zone.
Chase Young and Nathan Shepherd split the sack that forced Baltimore into a field goal, which Tyler Loop converted from 49 yards.
With the score at 17-9, both teams proceeded to go three-and-out, with a big sack from Pete Werner on Jackson helping the Saints defense win the ball back for the offense as the third quarter ended.
Fourth Quarter
Shough completed his first four passes on the ensuing drive for 31 yards as New Orleans drove down near the red zone.
His fifth attempt was the touchdown strike, finding Olave for a 21-yard score.
The two-point conversion attempt to tie the game was initially unsuccessful, but a defensive holding penalty gave the Saints another go at it.
The second time around, they got it done as Etienne ran it in to tie the game at 17-17.
Baltimore proceeded to go three-and-out at a bad time, giving New Orleans the opportunity to take their first lead late in the game.
Shough continued to find a variety of receivers, including a 15-yard pass to Olave and a 7-yard connection with Kevin Austin Jr. Etienne and Kamara also had a few short runs, and Vele caught a few short passes of his own.
And on 3rd-and-8, Shough came up with the big play of the drive on a 25-yard pass to Johnson to set up 1st-and-goal.
Johnson was found again by Shough but was marked just short of the goal line. Shough then tried to run it himself and was marked short before finally, on 4th down, the quarterback just barely broke the plane to score the game-winning touchdown for the black and gold.
The Ravens had 88 seconds with which to respond, but Julian Blackmon picked off Jackson to secure the 24-17 comeback victory for New Orleans.
Kellen Moore’s squad now heads home 1-1, where they’ll finally host the Las Vegas Raiders in their home opener this weekend.
