With the Saints leading Baltimore 14-0 late in the first half, Andy Dalton overthrew wide receiver Marquez Callaway in the end zone. It was that kind of night for the New Orleans offense.
A week after a 24-0 shutout of the Las Vegas Raiders, the Saints were held to a season-low 243 yards in a tepid 27-13 home loss to the Ravens that dropped them at 3-6. New Orleans settled for a field goal on the final play of the half after Dalton’s fumble, which bounced off Callaway’s fingertips, and didn’t score a touchdown until the game was out of bounds of reach at the end of the fourth quarter.
“Everybody had a hand in it tonight,” Dalton said. “They did a good job with their scheme. We have to find ways to make more plays than we did tonight.” That number has been close to zero for most of the first half. The Saints picked up two first downs on their first four possessions, with one of those coming due to an interference flag on a tipped interception.
Dalton’s longest completion through three quarters was 19 yards, and the running game was just as ineffective. Alvin Kamara, who was stuffed early without a gain on third-and-one, finished with 30 yards on nine carries. “They did a lot of good things defensively that gave us a lot of challenges,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “We have to go back to the drawing board, make some corrections and improve next week.”
New Orleans converted just three of 11 third downs after entering with a 43.8 percent success rate, eighth best in the NFL. Linebacker Tyus Bowser went in untouched to force a Dalton punt in the Saints’ first period, setting the tone. Linebacker Justin Houston sacked Dalton on the final play of the first quarter, forcing another punt. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey dropped him on a third-down blitz to stop the Saints’ first drive of the second half, forcing a 37-yard field goal that only cut the deficit to 17-6.
After a Ravens punt, Houston hit Dalton again, and tight end Calais Campbell finished it off on the opposite end. “We’ve got to find ways to keep protection, find ways to get the ball out of my hand,” Dalton said. “Guys have to open on time.”
The Saints are now 3-6 in the NFC South. Photo: Stephen Lew/USA Today Sports
Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass late in the first quarter to put Baltimore up 7-0. The Ravens then controlled the ball on the ground, rushing for 188 yards on 40 carries while winning time of possession 37:47-22:13. Baltimore put the game out of reach when Houston intercepted a deflected pass and returned it to the New Orleans 17 midway through the fourth quarter, setting up Kenyan Drake’s four-yard touchdown run for a 27-6 lead. The Saints scored their only touchdown on a 41-yard catch-and-run by tight end Juwan Johnson with 4:13 left when Ravens defenders called it out because they thought it was out of bounds.
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When asked if a game like this might make him reconsider sticking with Dalton over season starter Jameis Winston, Allen said no. The Saints had scored at least 25 in their last five games, averaging 29.6 points. “Our offense has been pretty good and moved the ball effectively,” he said. “This was not a good game tonight. We had a bad day at the office offensively and we have to get better.”