Ravens blow second half lead, lose home opener to Saints

BALTIMORE, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens lost their home opener to the New Orleans Saints 24-17 Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, blowing a second-half lead in a game that included a controversial fourth-down quarterback sneak and a late interception.

The Ravens came in off a strong season opener in Indianapolis looking to build momentum in front of their home fans for the first time this season.

Baltimore got on the board early. Running back Derrick Henry took a direct snap and plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard score, giving the Ravens a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.

The Ravens extended their advantage just before halftime when quarterback Lamar Jackson found wide receiver Rashod Bateman on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Ravens led 14-6 at halftime.

The pass rush came alive in the third quarter. Trey Hendrickson recorded his first sack as a Raven, and Mike Green followed with his first sack of the season, helping keep New Orleans out of the end zone through three quarters.

The Saints stayed within striking distance with field goals before finally breaking through on a Tyler Shough touchdown pass to Chris Olave. A successful two-point conversion tied the game at 17 early in the fourth quarter.

On the Ravens' next drive, Baltimore faced a third-and-1 and opted not to hand the ball off to Henry. Jackson threw deep to wide receiver Chris Moore, but the pass fell incomplete, giving New Orleans the ball with a chance to take the lead after the Ravens' three-and-out.

The Saints capitalized on a 16-play drive getting down to the goal line. At the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal, New Orleans called a quarterback sneak that was ruled a touchdown — a call that stood after review — giving the Saints a 24-17 lead with under a minute and a half remaining.

The Ravens' final drive ended when Jackson overthrew Bateman and was intercepted, sealing the loss.

Head coach Jesse Minter said:

"Losses are all disappointing, especially at home. Everybody is going to just say the same old thing of having a lead and things like that. So, we will own this. We'll look in the mirror; we'll figure out what we can do to improve."

Jackson said:

"Things just don't go our way sometimes, at the wrong time. That is what I believe. Certain calls happen — we get the momentum going, get [it] brought back, [and we have] penalties here and there. Anything can go down. That is why I believe we have not been finishing."

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell said:

"I know what kind of guys we've got. That is why I am so disappointed right now. You cannot let games like this slip away. We have too many of the right pieces."

The Ravens now face a quick turnaround with a trip to Brazil to take on the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Rio Game next week. Baltimore will not play at home again until Oct. 4 against the Tennessee Titans.

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