Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints Preview, Prediction, Where To Watch

Aug 28, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro (34) runs through a hole in the New Orleans Saints defense in the second quarter of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Week 12: Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints

When: Monday, 11/24/2014 at 8:30 p.m.

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Live Stream: ESPN.com

Radio: 98 Rock, Sirius XM

Local Radio Crew: Gerry Sandusky, Stan White, Qadry Ismail

TV: ESPN

Preview: Both of these teams are right in the thick of heated divisional races, but only one has a winning record.  If you guessed it is the Ravens that are above .500, you get today’s cookie.  The Saints have been uncharacteristically bad this season, but so has the remainder of the NFC South.

That doesn’t mean the Ravens don’t have their fair share of issues as well.  A season ending injury to lockdown cornerback Jimmy Smith thinned out an already thin secondary and led to some major changes in personnel.  Those changes seemed to work against the Titans, but the Ravens were facing a rookie quarterback making his first road start.

More from Ebony Bird

• Will Baltimore Ravens tender Tyler Huntley?
• Ranking 5 teams most likely to trade Baltimore Ravens for Lamar Jackson
• Will these comments impact Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens talks?
• 3 Biggest Needs for Ravens in NFL Draft
• Ravens’ Super Bowl odds stagnant amidst Lamar Jackson trade rumors

Now, that patchwork secondary must face Drew Brees and his merry crew of pass catchers, including all-world tight end Jimmy Graham.  While Brees hasn’t been himself this season, he still poses a threat to a defense that gave up six touchdowns to Ben Roethlisberger a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Joe Flacco has continued his uneven year, mixing spurts of good with streaks of bad.  The Ravens can ill afford to fall behind quickly in this game, as they are 0-4 in games where Flacco has attempted more than 31 passes this season.  They must also do a good job of protecting Flacco, as they have lost every game in which he has been sacked more than once.

Meanwhile, the Saints are coming off two straight losses, including a rare one at home last week against the Bengals.  They only managed 10 points of offense as the Bengals took away the deep ball and shifted extra attention towards Graham, limiting him to 3 catches for 29 yards.

The Ravens obviously don’t have a secondary that is on par with Cincinnati’s, but they do have an effective pass rush.  If the Ravens can contain Graham and get consistent pressure on Brees, they can pull off the rare feat of winning in New Orleans.  If they fall behind early, you can likely kiss their chances goodbye.

Betting Line: Saints -3 1/2, 50u -10

Prediction: Saints 27, Ravens 24