Today, the Saints take on the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Saints are coming off a 31-13 win off the St. Louis Rams, which was reminiscent of one of last season’s wins. The Saints’ passing game was operating on all eight cylinders, and the defense generated turnovers. The Ravens present a much stiffer challenge, with the talent on offense and its traditionally stout defense. The Saints have already beaten two of the three AFC North members faced, winning matchups against the Bengals and Steelers and losing to the Browns. To win, the Saints must do the following:

Exploit the Ravens’ Secondary
Safety Ed Reed is always a force to be reckoned with on defense, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the secondary. This matchup favors the Saints, especially the 6’4 Marques Colston. Last week the Houston Texans were able to expose this Ravens’ weakness, so look for Brees and Company to stretch the field vertically against the Ravens.

Protect Drew Brees
The Ravens’ swarming pass rush is well-renowned, especially with Terrell Suggs coming off the edge, and Haloti Ngata coming from the middle or the right end. The Saints need to keep Brees vertical so he can stretch the field. Look for New Orleans to keep tight end Jeremy Shockey in on pass plays for extra protection, or for the Saints to use two tight end formations.

Pressure Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco is turnover prone is he’s rushed into making decisions. Using linebacker Jonathan Vilma to blitz on obvious passing downs could make Flacco uncomfortable, forcing him to make mistakes.

This should be a close game. Baltimore will run the ball with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to keep the Saints’ offense off the field as much as possible. However, the Ravens’ defense is not as solid as it used to be. Look for the Saints to prevail, 27-24.

The Saints managed to pull out a close victory over the hometown Bengals, eking out a 34-30 win. As has been the case this year, the game was very close, and took a last-minute miracle to pull out victory. On fourth down and two inside the Bengals’ 10 yard line, the Saints opted to go for it instead of attempting a field goal to send the game into overtime. Drew Brees was able to draw Bengals’ lineman Pat Sims off-sides. Brees then hit Marques Colston for a three yard touchdown for the go-ahead score.

The Saints only turned the ball over once, but did not generate any turnovers. On offense, the Saints were able to run for 146 yards, averaging an outstanding 6.6 yards per carry. The Saints’ defense allowed Caron Palmer to pass for 249 yards, but only allowed 3.7 yards per carry. If the Saints are to make a deep run into the playoffs, the defense must generate more turnovers and produce points, as it did last year.

Next week the Saints host the St. Louis Rams, who currently lead the NFC West. Until then, the Saints will enjoy this narrow victory, and look forward to a return trip to the Super Dome.

This week, the 8-3 Saints visit the 2-9 Bengals. New Orleans is coming off a thrilling Thanksgiving Day win over the Cowboys, while Cincinnati is reeling after a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Jets, its eighth in a row. On paper this would appear to be a sure win for the Saints. However, the Saints have played down to the competition this year, losing to the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. Here are a few Ner Orleans’ keys to victory. Fight the Elements The Saints’ two previous games against AFC North opponents Pittsburgh and Cleveland were in the friendly confines of the Superdome. The Saint are only 2-2 in cold weather December games in the Drew Brees era, with both of those loses coming to the Chicago Bears. In those games, the Saints have averaged almost 31 points per game, so scoring should not be an issue. The forecast is calling for a 30% chance of snow during the day. To avoid turnovers, the Saints should keep the ball on the ground. The cold weather and snow will make passing very difficult. Establish the Running Game This has been the knock on the Saints all season, but it still remains true . New Orleans needs to establish the running game early to avoid turnovers and control the clock. Cincinnati allows 123 rushing yards per game, 23rd in the NFL. The Saints have a multi-pronged running attack, with Julius Jones, rookie Chris Ivory and Reggie Bush as the healthy backs on the depth chart. Pierre Thomas is listed as questionable. If he returns today it will add the important element of a strong inside running game. Get Reggie Bush Involved Last week’s game was Reggie Bush’s first game back from a broken leg, and was a rough outing for him. New Orleans needs his dynamic game to be incorporated if it wants to make a deep playoff run. The best ways to do this are to utilize Bush’s outside speed, by throwing him screen passes or running sweeps. Getting Bush involved will build his confidence, and make him valuable later in the season. Pressure Carson Palmer Although Palmer has two great receivers in Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, he has thrown 13 interceptions this year, tied for third in the NFL. The Saints need to blitz Palmer early and often to disrupt his rhythm and force him into mistakes, which he is prone to do. Despite the Saints’ advantages, look for this to be a close game. The Saints’ victories this year have been close, with the exception of blowouts of the Panthers and Buccaneers. New Orleans 33, Cincinnati 27.