Opponent Profile: Ravens Must Slow Down Drew Brees
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens enjoyed their week off from NFL action and will now return to work as they prepare to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Here’s the scouting report:
Saints on Offense
The Ravens will hear his name a lot this week and for good reason. Stopping Drew Brees will be the primary focus for Baltimore when it comes to stopping this Saints offense. The debate rages on with whether Flacco is an elite quarterback. There is no question with Drew Brees. He’s the heart and soul of this Saints offense and Baltimore will need to do their best to contain him. Baltimore’s secondary won’t be trusted to keep up with New Orleans’ receivers, so expect the Ravens to send pressure to make the QB as uncomfortable as possible.
The secondary will focus on keeping a firm blanket around All-Pro TE Jimmy Graham. With the drop off on talent Baltimore currently has in the safety spot, it’ll be interesting to see if they give the assignment of stopping Graham on a safety or a cornerback. Either decision will cause matchup problems throughout the game which is one of the reasons tight ends like Graham are so coveted in the NFL.
Saints on Defense
The Ravens want to jump out early against the Saints to take some pressure away from the defense. That may not be too hard to accomplish against this Saints defense. The Baltimore coaching staff may throw the ball early against the 24th ranked passing attack and it would be hard to blame them. Keeping the ball away from Drew Brees will also be a focal point for the Ravens this week. The Bengals were able to convert 9 of 13 on third down last week – one of which was a kneel down play. If the Ravens can extend plays against this defense it’ll make things very difficult for the New Orleans Saints.
Saints Coaching
Sean Payton is the head coach for the New Orleans Saints. He’s been their coach since 2006 with a record of 77-45 in that time span. He won a Super Bowl with the team in 2009. The Saints are 1-4 All-Time against the Ravens. Their only victory against Baltimore was in 2002.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
