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The Ravens continued their roll in New Orleans, sacking Saints quarterback Andy Dalton four times and piling up a 188-48 advantage in rushing yards as they won convincingly, 27-13. They moved to 6-3 and retained their lead in the AFC North as they earned themselves contented rest over their bye week. They will not face another team with a current winning record until the last week of the season.
Players of the game
OLB Justin Houston: The 33-year-old continues stringing together remarkable stat lines in part-time duty. He has accumulated multiple sacks in three straight games, the first Raven to do so, and this was the best of the bunch as he finished with 2 1/2 sacks, five pressures and an interception in 32 snaps.
QB Lamar Jackson: He missed on several throws that would have resulted in touchdowns but avoided turnovers against a blitz-heavy defense and kept the offense moving for most of the night. He was the most impactful ball carrier in a game full of gifted runners, with seven of his 11 attempts resulting in first downs.
RT Morgan Moses: The Ravens dominated another second half on the ground, and Moses was again the behemoth leading the way. He has been solid enough as a pass protector, but his combination of power and mobility as a run blocker has been the real revelation.
Snap-count analysis
Linebacker Roquan Smith played 76% of the team’s defensive snaps in his Ravens debut. Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser played 67% in his first game back from a torn Achilles. Any fear that rookie safety Kyle Hamilton would lose playing time to Smith was off base as he stayed on the field for a season-high 75% of defensive snaps. Meanwhile, cornerbacks Brandon Stephens and Damarion “Pepe” Williams combined for just 23 defensive snaps. Outside linebacker Justin Houston played 32 defensive snaps, up from 24 in Week 8 and 16 in Week 7. Odafe Oweh played a season-low 29 defensive snaps, though his percentages have been similar each of the last four weeks. The Ravens did not overtax any of their interior linemen; Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington played season lows of 23 and 16 defensive snaps, respectively.
With tight end Mark Andrews out, rookie Isaiah Likely played a career-high offensive 52 snaps; Josh Oliver and Nick Boyle played season highs of 44 and 16, respectively. Devin Duvernay was the only wide receiver to play more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps. DeSean Jackson played 11 snaps in his Ravens debut and would have played more if not for what coach John Harbaugh described as a minor soft-tissue injury. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley played every offensive snap for the first time this season, and right tackle Morgan Moses played 67 of 68, leaving Patrick Mekari just one snap to pick up. With Gus Edwards out, Kenyan Drake was again the featured running back, playing 46 snaps and carrying 24 times. Justice Hill was a distant second, carrying four times on 17 offensive snaps.
Number crunch
7.4: Lamar Jackson’s yards per carry, the best in the league and best of his career.
8 1/2: Justin Houston sacks in six games this season.
2017: The last year when a Ravens defender (Terrell Suggs) finished with double-digit sacks.
7: Weeks in a row the Ravens, after their bye, will play opponents with current losing records.
Quote of the day
Outside linebacker Justin Houston on the Ravens’ rising fortunes: “I think we know who we are. I think we had a lot of growing pains at the beginning of the season, and we are still growing. We still left a lot of plays out there tonight. The thing is what we have in mind as a defense is that it is every man in that room. It’s not just one or two guys. It’s the whole defense. When got a bunch of hungry dogs and they really want it and come together as one, the sky is the limit and I think that is what we have.”
Next up
Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday, Nov. 20, 1 p.m.
The Ravens will enjoy a 13-day break between games before they begin their post-bye stretch run by hosting the 2-7 Panthers. The Panthers will play the Atlanta Falcons Thursday, so they will also have extra time to rest and prepare for their trip to Baltimore. The Panthers fired coach Matt Rhule after five games and traded star running back Christian McCaffrey. They’re holding a three-way quarterback audition, featuring their latest starter, P.J. Walker, and former first-round picks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. They held on to a few stars, including wide receiver D.J. Moore and defensive end Brian Burns, but the Ravens will be heavy favorites.
Offensive snap counts
Ben Powers G 68
Kevin Zeitler G 68
Lamar Jackson QB 68
Ronnie Stanley T 68
Tyler Linderbaum C 68
Morgan Moses T 67
Isaiah Likely TE 52
Devin Duvernay WR 50
Patrick Ricard FB 46
Kenyan Drake RB 46
Josh Oliver TE 44
Demarcus Robinson WR 34
Justice Hill RB 17
James Proche WR 17
Nick Boyle TE 16
DeSean Jackson WR 11
Binjimen Victor WR 4
Mike Davis RB 3
Patrick Mekari T 1
Defensive snap counts
Geno Stone SS 51
Chuck Clark SS 51
Marlon Humphrey CB 51
Marcus Peters CB 50
Patrick Queen LB 49
Roquan Smith LB 39
Kyle Hamilton FS 38
Tyus Bowser LB 34
Justin Houston LB 33
Calais Campbell DE 32
Odafe Oweh LB 29
Justin Madubuike DT 23
Brandon Stephens CB 16
Broderick Washington DT 16
Travis Jones DT 15
Brent Urban DE 13
Malik Harrison LB 7
Damarion Williams CB 7
Jason Pierre-Paul LB 7
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