Ravens vs. Saints Week 9 matchup preview and current betting lines
The Baltimore Ravens (5-3) and New Orleans Saints (3-5) know a lot about injuries piling up at key positions this year. On Thursday, both announced what will likely be season-ending injuries to their No. 1 wide receivers, Rashod Bateman and Michael Thomas. It has been a rough three years for Thomas after he broke the NFL record with 149 catches in 2019.
The Ravens still have tight end Mark Andrews as their main target, but he left the win in Tampa Bay early with a shoulder injury, so his status is up in the air for Monday night. The Saints have been relying on rookie wideout Chris Olave, who has looked impressive at times. But the offense will try to run through Alvin Kamara, who scored his first three touchdowns of 2022 in a stunning 24-0 shut out over the Raiders on Sunday.
Both teams have taken a step back on defense from where they were in recent seasons. But the Ravens did a good job of turning away Tom Brady and company in Tampa Bay. The Saints were excellent at holding Davante Adams to 3 yards on one catch despite not having corner Marshon Lattimore. The Saints have remained very competitive despite their injuries, and we are seeing the same thing with these Ravens.
The NFL Week 9 odds have the Ravens as a 2.5-point road favorite with a total of 47.5 points in this matchup. We know more is expected of Baltimore this year, but the Superdome is always a tough place to play in prime time.
Players to watch in the Ravens vs. Saints game
Baltimore Ravens
Isaiah Likely: The fourth-round rookie was a preseason hero, but he really didn’t make an impact in a real game until last week in Tampa when he had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Let’s hope that game shows the coaching staff that he belongs on the field more often regardless of Mark Andrew’s health. The Ravens could be thriving in two tight end sets, especially without Bateman the rest of the year.
New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave: The rookie has shown why he was one of the first wide receivers taken in the draft. He is leading the Saints by more than 250 receiving yards due to the injuries but also his play. Olave has already had two 100-yard receiving games and has found better chemistry with Andy Dalton than he had with Jameis Winston.
Our Best NFL Bets for the Ravens vs. Saints game
We have two NFL Week 9 predictions for this Monday night game.
Ravens vs. Saints Point Spread Pick: Ravens -2.5 (-115)
The Ravens vs. Saints spread opened with the Ravens as a 3.5-point road favorite, but it has come down a solid point with the bad injury news for Baltimore with the skill players.
Baltimore has had a tie or lead in the fourth quarter of every game this season, but it has infamously squandered away three double-digit leads. Despite their injuries, the Saints have been in most games this year, and the 24-0 win over the Raiders was impressive on both sides of the ball.
Andy Dalton has lost his last four games against Baltimore, and incredibly this will be the fourth year in a row he has faced them with a different team. Dalton came off the bench last year in the Chicago game to almost pull out the win.
- 2019: Dalton’s Bengals lost 23-17 to the Ravens (21-of-39 for 235 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT)
- 2020: Dalton’s Cowboys lost 34-17 to the Ravens (31-of-48 for 285 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT)
- 2021: Dalton’s Bears lost 16-13 to the Ravens (11-of-23 for 201 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT)
You expect another close one here, but I like Baltimore’s coaching staff and quarterback more than what the Saints have. Baltimore’s defense is not what it used to be, but the fact is the Ravens allowed more points in the fourth quarter to Miami (28) than it has in any other game this season. That quarter looks more like an outlier for both teams.
Game on the line, I am still going to trust that combo of Lamar Jackson and kicker Justin Tucker. Take the Ravens to cover for your NFL bet of the week to close Week 9 on Monday night.
Check out our NFL picks page for more betting tips.
bet on nfl with fanduel >Highest Scoring Quarter: Fourth Quarter (+140)
We noted Baltimore’s inability to hold the lead late in games, but the team’s fourth quarters have also been high scoring due to this. There are other stats to support these teams both allowing many points in the final quarter:
- The Saints have scored the second-most points (77) in the fourth quarter this season.
- Both teams allow relatively few points in the first three quarters.
- But in the fourth quarter, the Ravens are tied with the Browns for the most points allowed (83) while the Saints (70) are close to the top at No. 4.
It was an impressive turnaround by the Ravens in Tampa Bay to go from trailing 10-3 at halftime to winning 27-22. The Ravens will want a faster start in this one, but that could be hard when they have had injuries to their top running back, wide receiver, and tight end.
Still, their best weapon (Jackson) is available, and the Ravens showed a lot of confidence in him throwing the ball in the last game despite the lack of skill players. Jackson had 30 passes at halftime, which is a number he often does not reach after four quarters.
The backups like Isaiah Likely and running back Kenyan Drake are ready to produce for this team. This one could be another fun fourth quarter to watch on Monday night, so I would bet on it being the highest scoring quarter in the game as two unfamiliar, injury-plagued teams go at it.
bet on NFL with betmgmFrequently asked questions about the Ravens vs. Saints game in Week 9
The game is being played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Saints won 24-23 in Baltimore in the 2018 season. Baltimore blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but even after Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass with 24 seconds left, Justin Tucker missed the game-tying extra point. It was the first missed extra point of his career, and he has only missed four more since that day.
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