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The Baltimore Ravens are coming off back-to-back wins and are hoping to make it three in a row when they face the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season. A win here will solidify the Ravens' hold on first place in the AFC North while also keeping them close to conference leaders, the Buffalo Bills. Here are our Baltimore Ravens Week 9 predictions as they take on the Saints.
When the Ravens visit Caesars Superdome for Monday Night Football in Week 9, they will seek to extend their lead atop the AFC North. In Week 8, the Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-22 thanks to two touchdown passes from quarterback Lamar Jackson. New Orleans might present a tougher challenge here.
Meanwhile, the Saints put on a defensive masterclass against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, winning 24-0. They had 4.0 sacks in their first shutout victory since 1995. On offense, RB Alvin Kamara led the way with 158 yards and three touchdowns.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Baltimore Ravens in their Week 9 game against the Saints.
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4. Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith each sack Andy Dalton
We all know that Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens offense. However, on defense, it's second-year linebacker Patrick Queen who has stood out for Baltimore. He has racked up 53 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble so far this season. He leads a defense that has recorded 15 takeaways in eight games. That is the third highest in the NFL.
Earlier this week, though, it seems this elite defense just got even better. The Ravens acquired inside linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and inside linebacker AJ Klein. It's a game-changing deal that should help Baltimore be even more dangerous this season.
The pairing of Smith and Queen has the potential to be extremely scary for Baltimore's future opponents. Their combination will almost probably instill fear in every opposing QB for the rest of 2022. In fact, as soon as Week 9, we already expect them to make an impact. Count on both guys to find and sack Andy Dalton in this game.
"This defense can be really special." https://t.co/RrWEEIrOVd
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 3, 2022
3. Devin Duvernay steps up big time
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Ace Ravens WR Rashod Bateman missed two games earlier this season. In those contests, Devin Duvernay had a 20.7 percent target share and 30 percent air yard share with 1.26 yards per route ran. He also spotted two red zone targets in that brief period of time.
Last week, Duvernay had four catches for 31 yards against the Buccaneers, but he also had two carries for 33 yards and a score. It was his fourth touchdown of the season and his first since Week 3 against the Patriots.
Now, with Bateman out for the foreseeable future due to a foot injury, Duvernay should see an increase in his targets. This week, he'll face a Saints defense that is middling in terms of stopping receivers.. With more looks coming his way, we expect Duvernay to put up bigger-than-usual numbers. He should get 70+ total yards from scrimmage against the Saints.
2. Lamar Jackson takes charge
In a Week 8 win against the Buccaneers, star QB Lamar Jackson completed 27-of-38 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns while adding 43 yards on nine carries.
Despite losing top receivers Bateman, Mark Andrews, and Gus Edwards to injury throughout the game, Jackson still performed well. His touchdown passes came in the third quarter to Isaiah Likely and Kenyan Drake. In eight games, Jackson has 15 throwing touchdowns and six interceptions. We see him taking charge and doing well again in Week 9.
Keep in mind that earlier this season, Jackson appeared to be on his way to another MVPish campaign, but he's struggled of late. Over the last five weeks, he has had five touchdowns to four interceptions and only one game with more than 210 yards. Things have been especially awful when Jackson attempts to push the ball down the field. To illustrate, he has scored four touchdowns on passes 15-plus yards down the field in the first three games, but none since.
Even in these less-than-ideal conditions, though, Jackson should still be more than the Saints can handle. And his potential as a runner makes it even more difficult to stop him. We have him going a total of 280 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in Week 9.
1. Ravens win by more than one score
Both of these clubs will be battling injuries on Monday night. The aforementioned Bateman will be absent for the Ravens, and tight end Mark Andrews is not fully recovered from a shoulder injury. For New Orleans, veteran wideout Michael Thomas is still nursing a toe injury.
Remember, however, that the Ravens are 6-2 in their previous eight meetings with the Saints. Of course, it also goes without saying that the Ravens have an edge at quarterback. As for New Orleans, neither Dalton nor Jameis Winston is a proper counter for Jackson under center.
This game should go Baltimore's way. We project the Ravens will prevail by more than one score for their sixth win of the season.
