Saints steal win in Baltimore as Shough stars again

Baltimore’s 2026 home opener saw them host a formidable New Orleans Saints outfit, who were not to be taken lightly, coming off a narrow overtime defeat in Detroit to begin their year. Tyler Shough led the NFL in opening week passing yards, as he continues to grow into the franchise quarterback the team hopes he can become.

On the other hand, the Ravens kicked off their campaign with a domination of the Indianapolis Colts, with star trio Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers all in mid-season form. Flowers, however, was ruled out for today’s game with a hamstring injury before kickoff.

Despite strong offensive efforts from both teams last week, they traded punts to open proceedings, before the Ravens struck first through none other then Derrick Henry, plowing into the end zone on a wildcat snap.

Baltimore looked in control of the game for the majority of the early stages, although the Saints defense bent without breaking, and a blocked field goal kept the game to one score.

Shough continued to look assured against the Ravens’ defense, and finally got some reward for his effort, putting New Orleans’ first points on the board with 4 minutes to play in the 1st half, albeit only with a field goal.

Field goals simply weren’t going to be enough to compete with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense, who worked their way down the field in 3 minutes for their second touchdown, as Rashod Batemen got on the end of a dime from Jackson.

The Saints did make the most of the 24 seconds left on the clock, working their way into field goal position on the stroke of halftime, ensuring the game remained within reach at 14-6.

Baltimore continued to hold the upper hand, as a field goal apiece to open the second half kept the lead at 8 points.

Much alike last week for New Orleans, Shough and Chris Olave’s chemistry kept them in the game, connecting for the game-tying touchdown before the defense began to step up, restricting Baltimore’s offense to consecutive punts.

The Saints put their best foot forward when it mattered most, with Shough learning from last week to look like a seasoned veteran, as he plowed into the end zone on a sneak to take the lead with less than 90 seconds remaining, as a controversial 4th down decision by replay review decided he broke the plane.

With the game on the line, Jackson was unable to deliver, forcing a deep throw, which Julian Blackmon picked off to seal an unlikely road win for the Saints.

Baltimore looked unstoppable in Indianapolis last week and had every right to be considered heavy favourites in this game, but perhaps got complacent with their early lead, struggling to produce offense in the second half. They’ll put this in the back of their mind as they move on to face Dallas in a blockbuster next week.

For New Orleans, this was an inspired win which showed instant growth from last week’s heartbreaker. The team continues to groe each week, and may even be a genuine NFC South contender when the business end of the season rolls around.

Touchdowns
New Orleans: Olave, Shough
Baltimore: Henry, Bateman

Top Performers
New Orleans: Shough, Olave, Blackmon, Werner, Carlson
Baltimore: Bateman, Henry, Green

Injuries
New Orleans: Banks Jr. (ankle), Emerson Jr. (shoulder)
Baltimore: N/A

Crowd: TBC at M&T Bank Stadium