Do the Saints continue their surge against Baltimore?

‘Yeah, where are they running?’ is the name of the game on Monday Night Game of NFL Week 9 when the New Orleans Saints host the Baltimore Ravens. That’s because both teams are relying more on the running game and both have already racked up over 1,000 rushing yards.

This means that both defenses will have to face very special challenges, which means that the form of the day will be of great importance. The Ravens have been much more consistent on the road this season, which is why they are 5-3. They thus lead the AFC North.

The Saints, on the other hand, are only 3-5 and in 3rd place in the NFC South. Due to the surprising weakness of this division, however, everything is still possible for them in terms of the playoffs. We see a duel of equals coming up – with slight advantages for Lamar Jackson and his Ravens.

So for New Orleans vs. Baltimore, our prediction is a run-focused game that will have some rushing touchdowns in store for us. In the end, we see the Baltimore Ravens in front as they have the better quarterback on their side with Jackson.

Kickoff of this Monday Night Game is on Tuesday night at 02:15 in New Orleans. The game can be watched live on DAZN.

New Orleans Saints – Statistics & current form

That’s just how the Saints are. They are playing a rather mediocre season so far with only two wins and all of a sudden they destroy the Las Vegas Raiders 24-0. You couldn’t have seen that coming, especially since the Saints’ defence was one of the five weakest in the league before (25.0 points conceded per game).

But they’ve always had games like this in the programme in recent years, which makes you question their attitude a bit. If they want to, they can. But do they want to play with that intensity again on Monday against Baltimore?

Saints a surprise package

So after a couple of high scoring games before, Andy Dalton and his colleagues were responsible for a pure low scoring game on Sunday. We actually expect their defensive breakdown phase to be history as well.

For Saints against Ravens, a bet on under-scoring is thus one of our betting recommendations, albeit with a residual risk. Still, the 48 total points should be hard to come by in this duel, especially since games that come via the rushing game usually go quicker as time rolls on.

Saints no early starters

Another thing that stands out about New Orleans is their often slow start, which consistently gets them into foul trouble. In five of their eight games, they were behind at halftime and then had to fight their way back to it in an effortless fashion.

This had several effects. For one thing, their fourth quarters are always extremely high-scoring. Secondly, they regularly had to resort to 2-point conversions to reduce the deficit. We therefore considered both options as good betting alternatives.

Betting on the 4th quarter as the one with the most points offers us odds of around 3.00 points. Even more valuable, however, are bets on a successful 2-point conversion. We can get up to 4.10 (Bet365) here and the Saints’ 2-point conversions have also been 75% successful this season.

Key Players:
QB: Andy Dalton
RB: Alvin Kamara
WR: Chris Olave
TE: Taysom Hill
K: Wil Lutz

Baltimore Ravens – Statistics & current form

The Ravens are back. After a short interim low, they could even take over the division lead with wins against Cleveland and Tampa Bay. For Monday, however, there are a few grey clouds hanging over the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

News broke on Thursday that wide receiver Rashod Bateman will be out for the next few games, possibly even the rest of the season, due to foot surgery. That’s a major weakness in the already sparse receiving cast, of course.

More running game than usual?

With tight end Mark Andrews also questionable, their own running game could become even more important than it already is. At 165.6 yards, they score the second most rushing yards of any team and we see that number dropping again for Monday.

Of course, that could make them a little more predictable. While we see them as favourites against New Orleans due to their great individual class and better defence, bets on them should be made with caution given these conditions.

Ravens with best kicker in NFL

The Ravens also have another small advantage: Justin Tucker. Not only is he the highest-paid kicker in the league in recent years, but he’s also the safest and regularly provides consistent scoring. With 8.8 kicking points per game, the Ravens already rank second on this list again this season.

This consistent scoring can lead to the Ravens taking a slow but steady lead. Then again, the Saints have to come, which on the one hand leads to a lot of points towards the end of the game, but also to our preferred option of the 2-point conversion.

Thus, in New Orleans vs. Baltimore, betting on the Ravens is possible, but not our pimary option. Betting on a successful 2-point conversion as well as betting on subpar points we see a little more promise – at terrific value.

Key Players:
QB: Lamar Jackson
RB: Gus Edwards
WR: Devin Duvernay
TE: Mark Andrews
K: Justin Tucker

New Orleans Saints – Baltimore Ravens Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Another duel that is much rarer than you think. The two teams only meet once every four years, which makes the direct comparison not quite as meaningful. Nevertheless, it is striking that the Saints have never won at home against Baltimore in their entire history.

More decisive, however, are the last games of both teams this season and there both come into the game with a good form and a lot of self-confidence. That speaks for some spectacular action, which includes long touchdown runs, long field goals and just 2-point conversions.

This makes the odds on these three options playable for Saints vs Ravens as well. For those who prefer to bet on wins, we recommend betting on Baltimore, but without a big handicap, as we expect a close game.

New Orleans Saints – Baltimore Ravens Tip

The Ravens have never been a passing team, but without Bateman and possibly Andrews, they will be even more about the run on Monday. That doesn’t mean they lose their favourite status, but it does shrink to a minimum.

That’s why betting alternatives are needed. Our No.1 bet for Ravens vs. Saints is on a successful 2-point conversion. It sounds unlikely, but the Saints have already successfully converted three of them this season – in just eight games.

Alternatively, the Saints vs. Ravens betting odds on a rushing touchdown by Lamar Jackson are also recommended. With hardly any playmakers left through the air, he will be forced to run more. Even or especially in front of the opponent’s end zone.