Ravens lose their grip on home opener as Saints rally, 24-17

Baltimore managed three second-half points and couldn't get the late stop it needed in Jesse Minter's first home game.

Cover: New Orleans tight end Juwan Johnson (83) fights for extra yards against Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium on September 20, 2026. Photo: Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire.

BALTIMORE | September 20, 2026

The Ravens needed one more third-down stop. Juwan Johnson made sure they didn't get it.

With the score tied late in the fourth quarter, the Saints tight end caught Tyler Shough's third-and-8 pass and fought his way to Baltimore's 4-yard line. New Orleans finished that possession with Shough's fourth-down touchdown sneak, leaving the Ravens 1:28 to rescue a home opener that had slipped away after halftime. They couldn't.

A late interception ended Baltimore's response and sealed a 24-17 loss Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Both teams are 1-1. Jesse Minter's first home game as Ravens head coach ended with an uncomfortable contrast to his winning debut: Baltimore scored 41 points at Indianapolis a week earlier, then went scoreless in the fourth quarter against New Orleans.

The decisive sneak survived a replay review. Roquan Smith went over the pile to contest Shough, and Marlon Humphrey recovered the loose ball, but the touchdown ruling remained. NFL replay official Mark Butterworth explained afterward that the available camera angles didn't provide the clear evidence needed to overturn it. That distinction matters: the ruling stood because replay couldn't disprove the touchdown.

"I give our guys a lot of credit," Minter said in postgame comments reported by BaltimoreRavens.com. Smith disputed the score but acknowledged the limits of his role: "I cannot focus on what is out of my control."

Baltimore had chances to keep the game from reaching that decision. The Ravens led 14-6 at halftime and were outscored 18-3 after the break. A holding penalty on safety Jaylinn Hawkins wiped out a stop on a Saints two-point attempt. Travis Etienne converted the next opportunity to tie it at 17. New Orleans finished 8-for-15 on third down, repeatedly extending possessions against a defense that couldn't get off the field when it mattered most.

Chris Olave caught the fourth-quarter touchdown that set up that conversion, with 9:42 remaining. Daniel Carlson's three field goals had kept New Orleans close enough to make its late possessions count. The Saints' defense finished the job with the interception after Shough's go-ahead score.

Lamar Jackson completed 21 of 31 passes for 235 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Rashod Bateman supplied seven catches for 88 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown before halftime. Derrick Henry ran 16 times for 68 yards and a score. Baltimore finished with 312 net yards to New Orleans' 298, but the yardage edge didn't translate into control of the second half.

Shough completed 27 of 34 passes for 252 yards without an interception. Olave caught eight passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. The Saints held the ball for 32:45, compared with Baltimore's 27:15.

Bateman's production came with Zay Flowers unavailable because of a hamstring injury. Baltimore also played without rookie receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who was on injured reserve with a wrist injury. The absences narrowed Jackson's receiving options, but the Ravens still reached halftime with a lead they couldn't protect.

Baltimore now heads to Rio de Janeiro to face Dallas on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4:25 p.m. ET. The Ravens will make that trip at 1-1 after surrendering all 15 points scored in Sunday's fourth quarter.