The Saints pride themselves on creating turnovers but when the opposing team can rack up 208 yards on the ground, it makes it awfully difficult to be opportunistic.
New Orleans made it a focal point all week to slow Ray Rice and Baltimore’s running game, but the only thing they forgot to do was……………slow Ray Rice and Baltimore’s running game. Rice rushed for 153 yards on 31 carries while Willis McGahee chipped in 53 yards on seven carries as the Ravens beat the Saints 30-24 on Sunday.
Rice also caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown on a day when quarterback Joe Flacco only completed 10 of his 20 pass attempts for 172 yards. The Saints failed to wrap up on several occasions and the Ravens didn’t hesitate to stick with what was working (i.e. ramming the ball down the Saints’ throat).
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for New Orleans either. They’ll face Michael Turner and the Falcons’ running game next Monday night before hosting LeGarrette Blount and the Bucs in two weeks. It’s becoming more likely that they’ll be on the road for the postseason, which could be a problem given the way their defense has played away from the Superdome of late.
