Baltimore Ravens win third straight, shut down New Orleans Saints

NEW ORLEANS -- The Baltimore Ravens (6-3) won their 3rd consecutive and 4th retired of their past 5 with a 27-13 victory implicit the New Orleans Saints, expanding their pb atop the AFC North.

Baltimore's defence controlled the game, signaling 4 sacks, including 2.5 by Justin Houston.

The Saints (3-6) person mislaid 3 of four.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens' defence delivered its astir ascendant show of the play erstwhile the squad needed it the most. The Ravens held the Saints to 238 yards, which tied the fewest they've fixed up this year.

Outside linebacker Justin Houston delivered 2.5 sacks and a fourth-quarter interception. He became the archetypal subordinate successful Ravens past with 3 consecutive multiple-sack games. Houston was the team's apical playmaker arsenic the defence didn't let a touchdown until 4 minutes near successful the game.

This was a timely effort by the defence due to the fact that its discourtesy is highly banged up. Lamar Jackson played without Pro Bowl choky extremity Mark Andrews (inactive with enarthrosis and genu injuries), No. 1 wide receiver Rashod Bateman (out for play with ft injury) and his apical 2 moving backs (J.K. Dobbins is connected injured reserve with a genu wounded and Gus Edwards was inactive with a hamstring injury). Still, the Ravens won their 3rd consecutive crippled and caput into the bye with a one-game pb implicit the Cincinnati Bengals for archetypal spot successful the AFC North.

Pivotal play: Houston's interception successful the 4th quarter. With 8:24 near successful the game, the Ravens sealed their 4th triumph successful 5 games with the benignant of game-closing play that had eluded them this season. Defensive extremity Brent Urban deflected Andy Dalton's pass, and Houston pulled successful the interception. Baltimore rapidly converted that turnover into Kenyan Drake's 2nd touchdown run, staking the Ravens to a 27-6 lead. It was Baltimore's 11th consecutive crippled with a forced turnover, which is the longest progressive streak successful the NFL. Houston is the archetypal subordinate successful Ravens past to grounds 2.5 sacks and an interception successful the aforesaid game.

Promising trend: The Ravens proceed to beryllium 1 of the fastest-starting teams successful the NFL. Baltimore became the archetypal squad to pb by treble digits astatine immoderate constituent successful each of its archetypal 9 games of a play since the 2011 Green Bay Packers, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Ravens are conscionable the 3rd squad to bash truthful successful the past 20 years, joining the 2009 New Orleans Saints and 2011 Packers -- some of whom started 9-0. This conscionable shows however adjacent the Ravens were to a cleanable commencement if they hadn't had 3 fourth-quarter meltdowns.

Silver lining: Jackson was spreading the shot around. Without his apical 2 targets -- Andrews and Bateman -- Jackson became much unpredictable successful distributing the ball. He deed 8 antithetic players connected his archetypal 8 passes and finished with throws to 10 players, tying a vocation high. Andrews and Bateman accounted for 39% of the Ravens' receptions successful the archetypal 8 games, and portion Baltimore is much unsafe with them, the Ravens appeared to beryllium much balanced without them. -- Jamison Hensley

Underrated statistic to know: Jackson is the 2nd subordinate successful NFL past to grounds 100 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns earlier turning 26, joining Josh Allen. Both were drafted successful 2018.

Next game: vs Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 20)

New Orleans Saints

The Saints (3-6) hoped they had turned a country pursuing their ascendant show against the Las Vegas Raiders past week. Instead, they simply recovered disappointment successful a prime-time loss.

Many of the aforesaid problems the Saints dealt with earlier successful the play returned. Quarterback Andy Dalton struggled, and the violative enactment didn't support him, peculiarly aft the nonaccomplishment of halfway Erik McCoy to injury. Dalton surely didn't assistance his semipermanent lawsuit arsenic the Saints' starting backmost by throwing a precocious interception, nor was helium helped by the Saints' tally game, which didn't fare good against the Ravens' defense.

The Saints mostly had nary reply for Ravens backmost Lamar Jackson, who made a fig of awesome plays to flight tackles each night. Now the Saints volition person to regroup connected a abbreviated week with the Pittsburgh Steelers up adjacent connected the road.

QB breakdown: Saints manager Dennis Allen committed to Dalton astatine backmost arsenic agelong arsenic the discourtesy kept performing, and it surely took a elephantine measurement backmost against the Ravens. Dalton needed a large crippled to beryllium the 3 interceptions successful premier clip vs. the Cardinals successful Week 7 were a fluke, but alternatively the discourtesy sputtered again. Dalton doubled his play sack full and was picked disconnected successful the 4th quarter. He besides volition lament missing a wide-open Marquez Callaway successful the extremity portion astatine the extremity of the archetypal half. Callaway had 5.95 yards of separation connected the play, making it lone the 2nd incompletion this play connected an extremity portion propulsion with implicit 5 yards of separation.

Troubling trend: The wounded bug came backmost to wound the Saints again, with McCoy, starting linebacker Pete Werner and starting antiaircraft extremity Marcus Davenport each leaving with injuries. The Saints person been short-handed each season, peculiarly connected the violative broadside of the ball, truthful this would beryllium different stroke if each 3 extremity up retired for immoderate magnitude of time. The nonaccomplishment of Werner would wounded the most, arsenic helium has taken a immense leap guardant successful his 2nd play and has been a cardinal portion of the defense. -- Katherine Terrell

Underrated statistic to know: Dalton has a .231 triumph percent successful premier clip (6-20), the worst of immoderate backmost since 2000. Kerry Collins is 5-16 for a .238 percentage.

Next game: astatine Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 13)