Zay Flowers never suited up, ruled out with the hamstring injury that had been trending toward doubtful all week, and Baltimore's passing game went cold for long stretches without him. Chase Young, questionable for New Orleans with a calf issue, played through it and got to Jackson 1.5 times — a heavier dose of pressure on the Ravens' quarterback than the pregame injury report on Young suggested was coming.
Baltimore's offense scored just 3 more points after halftime and none in the fourth quarter, the exact kind of stall that turns a comfortable lead into a scoreboard problem. New Orleans, meanwhile, started finding its rhythm through the air — Shough finished 27-of-34 for 252 yards, a far cleaner day than the pick-and-sack-strewn line he'd posted against Detroit.
Chris Olave, active despite the hamstring concern that had lingered into the week, hauled in 8 catches for 86 yards and a 22-yard touchdown that cut a 17-9 deficit to 17-15 with 9:42 left. Travis Etienne punched in the 2-point conversion to tie it at 17. Alvin Kamara's season debut was quiet — 9 carries for 15 yards, 5 catches for 7 — but he didn't need to be the story with Olave and Shough carrying the passing game.
The winning drive leaned on Juwan Johnson, who converted a third down with a 26-yard catch to set up first-and-goal, and then Shough himself, who snuck it in from a yard out on fourth down with 1:28 to play. Julian Blackmon intercepted Jackson on the ensuing drive to close it out — the same Ravens offense that torched Indianapolis in Week 1 never got the ball back with a chance to answer.
New Orleans avoided the 0-2 hole its overtime collapse in Detroit had set up, and did it against a Ravens team that came in on a 4-game winning streak dating back through the preseason. Baltimore's defense, missing 3 starters up front, held up well enough for three quarters before the offense simply stopped producing — the same offensive line questions surrounding Ronnie Stanley and John Simpson that lingered into kickoff never got fully answered, and it showed late.