The Ravens host the Saints on Sunday at 1 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium with more than a home game on the line. Baltimore is trying to turn a shaky home year into something sturdier, and it gets that chance against a New Orleans team that pushed hard in Week 1.
Roquan Smith has seen this matchup before. In Baltimore’s 27-13 win over New Orleans in 2022, he made his Ravens debut, finished with five tackles and played 76% of the defensive snaps. That game also fit the larger pattern in the series: Baltimore holds a 6-2 edge, and another win would push that margin to 7-2.
This one matters now because Baltimore is not walking in at full strength. Zay Flowers may not play because of a hamstring injury, Ja'Kobi Lane will miss at least the next four games with a wrist injury, and Ronnie Stanley and John Simpson both missed practice time this week. That leaves the Ravens trying to build off a Week 1 offense that produced 506 yards while keeping the structure of the game plan intact if the available targets and protection change.
The Saints are not coming in quietly. They lost 31-30 to the Detroit Lions in Week 1, but Tyler Shough led the NFL in passing yards and Chris Olave led the league in receptions and receiving yards, signs that New Orleans can move the ball through the air even when the final result goes against it. Baltimore also has its own stars in form after Lamar Jackson passed for 133 yards and a touchdown and ran for 82 yards, while Derrick Henry rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
That is the friction in this matchup: Baltimore is trying to protect home field after a 3-6 home record in 2025, but the offense is banged up on the outside and on the line, and the opponent arrives with a passing game that was productive in defeat. Jesse Minter has made reestablishing home-field advantage a priority, which puts a sharper edge on a game Baltimore should win but cannot treat casually.
If Henry gets 98 more rushing yards, he will pass Eric Dickerson and move into ninth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. For Baltimore, the more immediate measure is simpler than history: handle the injuries, control the line, and leave Sunday with a 7-2 series edge instead of another reminder that home games have not always been safe ground.
