You may not find a bigger upset in Week 2 than the New Orleans Saints' 24-17 win against the Baltimore Ravens
. The Saints matched Baltimore in physicality through four quarters, with their defense doing enough to keep the offense in it until Tyler Shough could string a couple of scoring drives together. There's a lot to reflect on in this big win. Let's approach it by asking and answering four key questions:- What went right?
- What went wrong?
- What's the bottom line?
- What comes next?
What went right?
The Saints defense came to play. They struggled to get to Lamar Jackson early on, but Chase Young sacked him twice and Kaden Elliss began to have success on blitzes as the afternoon wore on. Derrick Henry had his moments (averaging 4.3 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown) but New Orleans didn't let him reach the century mark or gain
more than 8 yards on a single rush. Jackson was efficient on 21-of-31 passing for 235 yards, but he didn't take the game over like some expected. That's because the Saints stayed disciplined in coverage and didn't panic when Jackson tried going over the top.
Offensively, Tyler Shough had a day; the Saints quarterback completed 27 of 34 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. He connected on throws to eight different receivers with Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, and Devaughn Vele each gaining more than 60 yards. Shough stood tall under heavy pressure from the Ravens defense and made some very difficult throws to different levels of the field.
But you can't talk about this win without highlighting the special teams units. That phase looked like a potential red flag going into the game because injuries sidelined Isaiah Stalbird, a coverage ace, and Zach Wood, their longtime long snapper. Instead, the kicking operation was clean with hits from 23, 47, and 51 yards. Rookie draft pick Barion Brown helped get them into field goal position by returning a kickoff 53 yards just before halftime. And Carl Granderson blocked a Ravens field goal to give them a spark, too. That turnover on downs set up the first field goal for New Orleans.
What went wrong?
You have to start with the injuries. Veteran cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., a backup who has been rotating into games with Quincy Riley, suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out during the second quarter. He was initially reported as questionable to return before the Saints shut him down. What's more concerning is Kelvin Banks Jr.'s ankle injury. The second-year left tackle was rolled up on late in regulation and had to be carted off; the team ruled him out from returning right away. Losing him for extended time would be huge.
New Orleans did have some miscues here. They started slow on offense, again, ending each of their first two possessions with punts. They couldn't reach the end zone until the fourth quarter. They only averaged 2.4 yards per carry and didn't have a single rush gain 10 or more yards until Tyler Shough scrambled for 11. We haven't seen what we expected on the ground. Defensively, Jackson and the Ravens were able to move the ball; Emerson was hurt and penalized on a 47-yard gain.
Don't forget the penalties. The Saints only had five accepted fouls for a loss of 35 yards (compared to seven for 34 on Baltimore) but they had a couple of other penalties declined by the Ravens. False starts and illegal formation fouls are hurting them. This team shouldn't struggle so badly to get lined up.
And what's the bottom line?
Tyler Shough looks like an NFL quarterback. He just outdueled one of the best in the game and willed the Saints to a win on the road against a roster everyone agrees is better. One of the better advanced stats is "completion percentage over expected" which accounts for down, distance, and difficulty on every throw. Shough finished 14.1% higher than expected on Sunday, which would put him in the 93rd percentile of decades of performances. He converted three consecutive third downs on the Saints' final drive before scoring a go-ahead touchdown at the goal line.
So what comes next?
The Saints are finally coming home. After competing on the road in the first two weeks, they'll return to New Orleans and host the Las Vegas Raiders at the Caesars Superdome next Sunday. Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has beaten them before, and head coach Klint Kubiak knows them well after calling plays for New Orleans during the 2024 season. We've been talking all summer about how the schedule lightens up after these first two tests away from home. The Saints have some momentum. Let's see if they can keep it going.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints-Ravens instant analysis: What went into Week 2 upset?
