Next Up: Saints

[Bryden88]

One of two things will happen.

 

1. Saints come out in butt kicking mode, and if we win next Monday we'll have to match that.

 

2. Saints will remain in a rut, and we'll be the ones who effectively help bury their season.

 

I'm hopeful for 2. It's a Bye Week.

[BmoreBird22]

I personally think it will be a really great game. The Ravens are a really great team coming off the bye (have they lost under Harbaugh?) and the Saints are usually a really good home team. After losing two straight, they'll be looking for blood.

 

However, this Saints team hasn't looked all that good this season, even in their wins. They're a finesse team and when teams have been able to get physical, they've been getting beat up badly. The offensive line is extremely porous and they may have just lost their best lineman in Zach Streif. They're not a physical team up front on offense or defense.

 

Defensively, they may have an Keenan Lewis, which really hurts their secondary. They played so much soft man coverage and the Bengals were more than happy to get the ball out quickly for five or six yards and allow the receivers to get YAC. When the Saints wanted to press, the Bengals took their deep shots and it worked with great success. I saw the Bengals getting excellent running lanes just by punching the Saints defensive line in the mouth. They were blocking well one on one and effectively getting to the second level. 

 

The only thing that really worries me is that the Saints are a really good passing team and they really like to attack the deep portions of the field with Graham, Stills, and Cooks. Even Colston is a good intermediate threat. The make-shift secondary will have to show last week wasn't a fluke (I feel it was somewhere in-between since the Titans were coming off a bye week). If the pass rush does the secondary some favors and if Will Hill finally feels fully acclimated, I don't see a reason the Ravens can't win the defensive battle.

[52520Andrew]

Ugh I hope New Orleans plays like they did today when we play Monday but we all know that never works out

[FoxRox75]

At least the Texans beat the Browns to get us out of the basement. I do think the Saints' playing could go either way. The important thing is that we don't underestimate them at all and give them our A game. Regardless of how they play, I think we got this W if our guys give it their best.

[SuggsBarber]

What happened to Graham today?Normally he terrorizes the middle.And the Saints had no answer for Green.

[757RavensFan]

Saints starting safety broke his leg today. 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11887926/rafael-bush-new-orleans-saints-suffers-fractured-tibia

[DomMcRaven]

Thanks a lot Saints. Thanks a lot. We appreciated your effort. Keep up the good work.

[Kid87]

Bruh...Saints....SMH We better beat these fools Next Monday Night...

[I AM LEGEND]

Man o Man.

New Orleans....primetime....monday night football...against a saints team that badly needs a win and against Jimmy Graham who did absolutely nothing this week.

God, help us.

Not saying we cant win..but its gonna be extra tough.

[beanfigger]

We need to hit them quick. Maybe the wheels will completely fall off.

[DomMcRaven]

Let our offensive line protect Flacco (as they did against the Browns, Panthers, and Bucs) and let their defense continue to play like they have.....it's on.

[Tank 92]

We need to hit them quick. Maybe the wheels will completely fall off.

 

 

..........and to take the crowd out of the game.

 

I hate having to play them now.  At 4 - 6 they are still right there to win the sorry NFC south division and will desperate for the W.   As the saying goes, a wounded animal is most dangerous. 

[berad]

Steve Smith called the NFCS "finesse" earlier this year, saying that the AFCN was physical. Time to show it and sweep that division. Let's go! Make it a good Thanksgiving lol

[codizzle]

..........and to take the crowd out of the game.

Not all of the crowd. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna be jumping.. First game in a long time

[1/28/01]

Not all of the crowd. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna be jumping.. First game in a long time

Swing thru Destin. I may have a few drinks!

[Tank 92]

Not all of the crowd. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna be jumping.. First game in a long time

 

 

haha!    Here's to having a lot to be jumping about!

[RavensPunkXVX]

I know this is a week to week league, but I'm surprisingly confident about this game. Brees is elite, but he tends to hold onto the ball longer than most so that works to our advantage if we're tearing up his o line.

I can't get over how they looked against the Bengals. As a team. Watching at home, it looked like every Bengals catch was so easy to make. They were using the clock horribly. So slow and methodical. Didn't even look like the Saints.

[I AM LEGEND]

Brandin Cooks there rookie WR whose been playing really well this year (I have him in all three of my fantasy leagues) has a broken thumb and will miss 2-4 weeks. Not happy about injuries but we can take all the help we can get. I know the saints have not been happy with their outside WRs at all this year especially Colston. This could mean more two tight end sets with Graham and Hill who are both nightmare matchups for secondaries. So it seems the saints may have lost some explosiveness but may substitute it for more blockers up front. Tougher job for our front seven..maybe easier for our secondary.

[I AM LEGEND]

I also must say...4 years ago when we faced the Saints in Baltimore I had the same nervousness I do now. That feeling in the pit of my stomach that Brees is about to make us look really bad. But surprisingly back then we handle them pretty easily. Now I know we had some H.O.F.s helping us out back then and we were outdooors but still.

[codizzle]

Heard it from sources I didn't trust but yea it's official.. Cooks is out along with a starting safety..

Hit em quick and hit em hard.. Need this W

[codizzle]

Swing thru Destin. I may have a few drinks!

Man if I go to destin.. I'm prolly not leaving.. Love destin

On a really right schedule though.. 3 different trips from this Saturday through thanksgiving

[Moderator 3]

I also must say...4 years ago when we faced the Saints in Baltimore I had the same nervousness I do now. That feeling in the pit of my stomach that Brees is about to make us look really bad. But surprisingly back then we handle them pretty easily. Now I know we had some H.O.F.s helping us out back then and we were outdooors but still.

When they were here, I was stunned by what a dirty team they were...all kinds of late hits and stuff that never get picked up on camera.

[GrimCoconut]

At least thank the Bengals for softening them up for us lol. I hate that dirty team.

[GrimCoconut]

When they were here, I was stunned by what a dirty team they were...all kinds of late hits and stuff that never get picked up on camera.

I think that was the last year of Gregg Williams right? I'm pretty sure he was DC that year.

[berad]

When they were here, I was stunned by what a dirty team they were...all kinds of late hits and stuff that never get picked up on camera.

 

And it led to this gem

 

[757RavensFan]

When they were here, I was stunned by what a dirty team they were...all kinds of late hits and stuff that never get picked up on camera.

 

That was during the "Bounty Gate" years, so I'm not surprised.

[omar586]

i hope we smoke the saints, we're catching them when they have a lot of injuries. cook and their FS are both out .

[757RavensFan]

The Saints rookie phenom WR Brandin Cooks is probably out 2-4 weeks w/ a broken thumb.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2159967-brandin-cooks-injury-updates-on-saints-stars-thumb-and-return

[FoxRox75]

Really no excuse not to win this game, even if the Saints play up to their potential. Flacco and the offense are due for another big game (especially seeing as Dalton was able to have a 200+ yard, 3 TD 0 INT day against them), and hopefully the new secondary is up to the challenge against Drew Brees. We have to start finding consistency in this final stretch to continually win games and not play down to competition; I firmly believe right now, we are a better team than the Saints. Prediction wise, I really don't know, since it's coming after a bye week and on the road. We'll see, but again, it's a very obtainable win.

[omar586]

i just want to see a dominant offensive peroformance by the ravens, running the ball with ease. we should run the ball 40 times. 20 for forsetts, 10 pierce, 10 talfario. but the saints will try to force us to pass instead by showing 8 in box on D. hopefully we will spread them out and run all night.