New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore walks on the sideline in the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Detroit.
AP Photo/Rey Del Rio
The New Orleans Saints (0-1) seek their first win of the season Sunday when they play the Baltimore Ravens (1-0)) at M&T Bank Stadium. Here are four key factors for the Saints to have a chance to win.
### Containing Lamar Jackson
There aren’t many players in the NFL more dangerous with a football in their hand than Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. The Saints must find a way to slow down the two-time MVP who can hurt you with both his arm and his legs. Jackson threw for 324 yards and rushed for 40 more in last week’s 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens racked up 506 yards of offense in that one. Four years ago, Jackson rushed for 82 yards against the Saints. “No play is ever over,” said Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. “… He's one of the top players in the history of the game. That’s just a fact.“
If trying to stop Jackson isn’t enough, the Saints also have to deal with running back Derrick Henry. It’s the second straight week the Saints have faced one of the best backs in the league. Last week, Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 29 times for 156 yards. Now they face Henry, who is coming off a 144-yard, three-touchdown performance in the opener. The key to slowing down Henry is not letting him get to the second level of the defense. The play of the Saints’ defensive line will be key. “We can’t let Derrick Henry get going,” said DE Chase Young. “Once he gets going and gets downhill, he’s hard to stop.”
### Avoiding slow start
The trend is starting to become a bit disturbing. The Saints, as they have so often done in the Kellen Moore era, struggled out the gate in last week’s overtime loss to the Lions. The Saints’ offense couldn’t get going at all in the first half and ended up in a 21-0 hole three minutes into the third quarter. The Saints have now gone scoreless in the first quarter in 12 of the 18 games Moore has coached. Baltimore isn’t the type of team you need to fall behind on and try to play catch up. "If you don’t play complete games in this league, you don’t win,” said Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. “We are going to continue working on it until we get it right.”
The best way to keep the Ravens’ potent offense off the field is the Saints keeping their own offense on the field. A strong running game can help that. The Saints invested heavily in the rushing attack this offseason, signing running back Travis Etienne and guard David Edwards. The Saints averaged 3.6 yards per carry last week and finished with 91 rushing yards. Of course, falling behind early dictated that since the Saints had to air it out to get back in it. They get Alvin Kamara back this week. It’ll be interesting to see how they divvy up the load between Etienne, Kamara and Kendre Miller. Regardless of who is getting the carries, they need to be effective.
_This Saints coverage is brought to you in part by BankPlus._