The Baltimore Ravens suffered a tough early-season setback in their 2026 home opener as they fell to the New Orleans Saints by a final of 24–17. It marked the first loss for the Ravens this season and also gave Jesse Minter his first loss as an NFL head coach.
The game started off promising for Baltimore, as Derrick Henry opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Ravens controlled much of the first half, punctuated by a 22-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman with under 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter. With no Zay Flowers, Bateman tried to make the most of his opportunities scoring his first touchdown of the season while also recording his first catches and yards of the 2026 season. A long kick return by the Saints on the ensuing kickoff gave them and opportunity for Daniel Carlson to connect on a 47-yard field goal to send the Ravens into halftime with a 14-6 lead.
While it was a strong first half by the Ravens, the second half belonged to New Orleans as they outscored the Ravens 18–3. Down 17–9 in the fourth quarter, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough hit Chris Olave for a 21-yard touchdown pass to cut the Ravens lead 17-15. A subsequent Ravens defensive holding penalty on safety Jaylinn Hawkins gave New Orleans another shot to tie the game with just under 10 minutes to play. Travis Etienne Jr. would capitalize on the Saints second chance running it in off the ride side to knot the game at 17.
The Ravens would go three and out on their next drive, giving the Saints offense the ball back with 8:06 left to play in the game. Shough converted a crucial third down pass to tight end Juwan Johnson for 26 yards down to the Ravens one yard line. After being stuffed on third down, Shough would again try the quarterback sneak on fourth down. It initially looked like Shough was stopped again, but after an official review it was determined the ball crossed the goal line giving the Saints their first lead of the game with 1:28 left in regulation. With no timeouts, Jackson tried to lead a late game-tying drive into Saints territory, but safety Julian Blackmon intercepted a deep pass intended for Bateman at the New Orleans 37-yard line with 13 seconds remaining to seal the Ravens loss.
The Ravens’ offense struggled to stay on the field in the second half. It was self-inflicted mistakes that included seven penalties. Defensively, new addition Trey Hendrickson notched his first sack as a Raven alongside two tackles for loss from Mike Green, but Jesse Minter’s unit couldn’t get off the field on critical third downs in the second half, as the Ravens once again blew a fourth quarter lead.
The Ravens will look to bounce quickly as they get set to next Sunday to take on the Dallas Cowboys. It will mark the third time the Ravens have played a game outside the United States, and the first time they will play somewhere internationally other than in London. The Ravens are 1-1 all time in international games.
Games Notes:
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman led all Ravens with 88 receiving yards.
Running back Derrick Henry recorded his 126th career rushing touchdown.
Safety Kyle Hamilton led all Ravens with 13 total tackles.
The Ravens outgained the Saints 312-298
The Ravens 17 team penalties are seventh most in the NFL through two weeks.
