The Baltimore Ravens are up 14-3 on the New Orleans Saints at halftime, but man, they had to fight to get there after a super slow start at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. They went three-and-out on their very first possession, but by the break, they’d racked up 228 yards and 13 first downs. Talk about a turn-around!
Jackson and Henry Power the Baltimore Attack
Lamar Jackson was dealing in that first half, completing 13 of 16 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. That 22-yard strike to Rashod Bateman with just 24 seconds left in the second quarter was straight fire, putting Baltimore firmly in control. Bateman was their top receiver, pulling in three catches for 50 yards, especially with Zay Flowers on the sidelines. And can we talk about Derrick Henry? Dude just ran through people, powering their first scoring drive with 45 of its 76 yards, touching the ball on the final five plays of that possession. He capped it with a 1-yard Wildcat touchdown and finished the half with 51 yards on 11 carries. That’s the ground game you need!
Big Plays, But Are They Leaving Points Out There?
Despite the offensive fireworks, you gotta wonder about some missed opportunities. Devontez Walker absolutely broke free for a career-long 47-yard reception, a huge explosive play that got everyone hyped! But then Carl Granderson got a hand on Tyler Loop’s 49-yard field-goal attempt, and that whole drive ended up without points. Ouch. You just can’t be leaving points on the field in a tough league like this. Thankfully, Baltimore’s defense was on it, keeping New Orleans out of the end zone even though the Saints converted four of seven third downs. Tavius Robinson came up big with a sack to end New Orleans’ opening series, giving him two already this season, and rookie Chandler Rivers had a huge NFL debut, tallying two tackles including a 4-yard loss against Alvin Kamara. The Saints did put together a 12-play, 56-yard drive late in the second, but the defense held them to just a 23-yard field goal. Baltimore definitely won the yardage battle, 228-137, with a narrow edge in possession time.
They’ve got the lead, but seeing that big play from Walker go to waste because of a missed field goal definitely shows they’ve got some stuff to tighten up. We’ll see if they can punch it in more efficiently in the second half.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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