Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints: Week 12 Game Preview for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens should be rested and rejuvenated following their bye week in Week 11. They'll need to be when they head to New Orleans to take on the Saints on Monday Night Football.
Though neither team has the record it hoped to have at this point in the season, both squads are in prime position to make it to the NFL playoffs.
The 4-6 Saints are tied with the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South, while the 6-4 Ravens are just one game behind the 6-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC North lead.
Baltimore is also trailing the 7-4 Miami Dolphins for the No. 6 seed in the AFC, so the Ravens still have plenty at stake this week when they face the Saints.
Here is my preview of the Week 12 matchup.
News and Notes
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Matt Elam Playing Less
The Ravens secondary has been the weakest link on the team for much of the year, and safety Matt Elam has done little to help.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Elam is the worst-rated Ravens player with a minus-10.4 grade. He started in the first nine games this year at both strong and free safety, but that changed in Week 10.
Against the Tennessee Titans, he was benched in favor of Will Hill while playing just 15 snaps. That came one week after playing just 28 snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.
However, defensive coordinator Dean Pees insists Elam’s struggles aren’t why he’s playing less, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:
"To me, the situation with Matt is everybody is reading a little more into it than we certainly are. He’s a starting safety for us. We need to find guys and what they do best and put them into their role, and every week that role could change.
He could play 40 snaps one week and 15 the next. A lot of it is based on what the game plan is going in against a certain team on offense, a certain quarterback, how much we’re going to play different packages.
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The Ravens just had their bye week, so it will be interesting to see what they do with Elam going forward and if they've found a true role for him.
Elvis Dumervil Has Franchise Record in Sight
The Ravens defense is once again one of the NFL's best, and outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil has been one of the NFL's best pass-rushers.
Through the first 11 weeks, he is tied for second in the league with 10.5 sacks—just 1.5 fewer than Justin Houston's league-leading 12 sacks.
Dumervil is on pace to finish the season with 17 sacks if he plays in all 16 games, which would surpass former Raven Peter Boulware's franchise record of 15, which he set in 2001.
“It’s definitely in sight,” Dumervil said about the record, via Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com. “I’ll be looking toward it.”
Dumervil needs to average a little less than one full sack over his next six games to break the record.
Injury Report
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NAME | POSITION | INJURY | GAME STATUS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Campanaro, Michael | WR | Thigh | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
Daniels, Owen | TE | NIR | DNP | FP | FP | probable |
Juszczyk, Kyle | FB | Foot | - | LP | FP | probable |
Ngata, Haloti | DT | NIR | - | DNP | FP | probable |
Reid, Jah | T | Hand | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
Smith, Daryl | LB | NIR | DNP | FP | FP | probable |
Suggs, Terrell | OLB | NIR | - | DNP | FP | probable |
Yanda, Marshal | G/T | Knee | LP | FP | FP | probable |
DNP = Did not participate in practice
LP = Limited participation in practice (Less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)
FP = Full participation (100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)
The Ravens got good news when starting right guard Marshal Yanda returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's team workout.
A left knee injury has been plaguing Yanda for a couple of weeks now, but it hasn't caused him to miss any game action. he has started every game this year and should do so again at New Orleans.
The same cannot be said for rookie wide receiver Michael Campanaro, whose hamstring issue kept him out of Thursday's practice. He hasn't practiced since Oct. 24.
Matchups to Watch
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TE Jimmy Graham vs. FS Will Hill
The Saints feature arguably the NFL's best tight end in Jimmy Graham. Over the past four seasons, he has caught a combined 329 passes for 4,130 yards and 43 touchdowns.
That's absurd, and it includes his 59 catches for 623 yards and seven scores this season. Stopping him will be key to Baltimore escaping New Orleans with a victory.
The Ravens may opt to use double-teams to slow Graham down, but starting free safety Will Hill will still probably end up with several one-on-one matchups with Graham in this game.
After missing the first six games of this season due to suspension, Hill has played in 155 snaps over the past four weeks, including two starts at FS in his past two games.
When he's been on the field, Hill has only been thrown at six times while allowing three catches, according to Pro Football Focus. He's arguably the Ravens' best coverage safety, and he'll play a large part in defending Graham.
RB Mark Ingram vs. ILBs C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith
The Saints have arguably the NFL's most balanced offense, and running back Mark Ingram is a big reason why. Over the past four games, he has rushed for 459 rushing yards and three scores.
His efforts have helped the Saints rank eighth in rushing offense. As a team, the Saints have failed to rush for at least 100 yards just twice this year, but the Ravens are one of the best when it comes to stopping the run, thanks to their two stud inside linebackers.
C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith anchor the Ravens' 3-4 defense, and they're a big reason why Baltimore ranks No. 5 in run defense while allowing just 84.5 rushing yards per contest.
In 10 games, Mosley has notched a team-high 90 tackles and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. He also has a team-high four tackles for loss.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mosley's 13.0 grade is the third-highest of any ILB. He partners with Daryl Smith to form one of the best ILB combos in football. Smith is second on the team with 84 tackles to go with two forced fumbles.
Baltimore's defense rarely allows opponents to be effective on the ground, holding the last two opponents to less than 70 yards rushing.
How well Smith and Mosley do at shutting Ingram down will go a long way in determining the winner of this game.
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Prediction
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The Saints are in desperate need of a win at 4-6, while the 6-4 Ravens also are hurting for a victory, as they currently sit outside the NFL playoff picture.
Neither team wants to come out of this contest with a loss, and after the Saints jump out to a fast start, Joe Flacco rallies the Ravens to tie the game going into halftime.
Baltimore relies mostly on its run game in order to keep New Orleans' high-octane offense off the field, while the defense holds the Saints under their 26.1 points-per-game average.
Between the run game doing well and the defense keeping the Saints in check, the Ravens take a lead into the fourth quarter with a chance for the defense to win the game.
Both of these teams will fight hard for four quarters in a game that comes down to the wire, and ultimately, Drew Brees throws an interception with just a few minutes left in the game. Baltimore's offense runs out the clock to escape with a one-point win.
Ravens 24, Saints 23
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