You'll have a hard time finding many NFL experts who are picking the New Orleans Saints this week. Most of those in the know are backing the Baltimore Ravens after a dominant Week 1 showing against the Indianapolis Colts -- a game the Ravens won 41-23 under first-year head coach Jesse Minter.
That doesn't mean the Saints didn't impress some viewers in their 31-30 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions, having overcome a 21-0 hurdle in the process. It just wasn't enough to convince many media outlets from picking them to win this week. Tyler Shough leading the league with 410 passing yards right out of the gate was an outstanding effort. But they won't start backing him until he starts winning games.
Here are the picks from different national media
outlets going into Week 2:
ESPN: Ravens
All 11 ESPN analysts selected Baltimore.
NFL.com: Ravens
NFL.com’s five-person panel unanimously selected the Ravens.
Sports Illustrated: Ravens
Sports Illustrated’s eight analysts unanimously picked Baltimore.
USA TODAY: Ravens
All six USA TODAY experts listed in the Ravens’ official roundup selected Baltimore.
NFL Network: Ravens
Seven of the eight NFL Network analysts selected Baltimore.
The Sporting News: Ravens
Vinnie Iyer picked the Ravens to win 35-17 as his "lock of the week."
CBS Sports: Ravens
CBS Sports analysts Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin both predicted Baltimore victories. Pete Prisco predicted Baltimore will win 33-20.
Overall consensus
The straight-up consensus is overwhelmingly in favor of Baltimore. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, USA TODAY, and The Sporting News all picked the Ravens across the board. NFL Network produced the only outright New Orleans selection among those larger panels. Let's see if the Saints can prove them wrong.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL experts aren't buying the Saints in Week 2 at Ravens
