New Orleans @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 31, 2017 ) Baltimore 14, New Orleans 13

The New Orleans Saints are on the short list of Super Bowl contenders a third of the way through the season and own the top scoring offense in the NFL at an average of 36 points. Drew Brees and company will test that offense against the league's top defense when the Saints visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The Ravens are surrendering an average of 12.8 points and are coming off a 21-0 shutout of the Tennessee Titans in which they sacked Marcus Mariota 11 times. "The overall feeling is, in order for us to be the great defense we’ve talked about, games like this – offenses with a lot of power, All-Pro, Hall of Fame quarterback, leading the league in different categories – we’ll see what we’re made of, man," Baltimore cornerback Brandon Carr told reporters of this week's matchup. "That's the exciting part, to see how good we can truly get." The Saints are coming off a bye week after Brees set the NFL record for all-time passing yardage in a 43-19 thrashing of the Washington Redskins on Oct. 8, and the veteran quarterback is well aware of the defense he's facing. "They have a lot of good pass rushers," Brees told reporters of the Ravens. "So, a lot of good matchups for them. It is obviously something they've done well for a very long time. They do it well with their D-Line, their front four so to speak and then, obviously, from the linebacker position as well."

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Ravens -2.5. O/U: 50

ABOUT THE SAINTS (4-1): Brees is one TD pass away from reaching 500 for his career and is completing 77.9 percent of his passes with 11 TDs and no interceptions this season. "It's a lot of touchdowns and a lot of games and a lot of passes, but you take them one at a time and you just focus on winning the game and scoring points, regardless of if I am handing it off to one of these guys are throwing to one of our guys," Brees told reporters. "We focus on winning games and the rest of that stuff kind of takes care of itself. Numbers add up." New Orleans added another key weapon to the offense in the win over the Redskins, with running back Mark Ingram making his season debut following a four-game suspension and rushing for a pair of touchdowns.

ABOUT THE RAVENS (4-2): Za'Darius Smith (5.5) and Terrell Suggs (4.5) lead Baltimore in sacks, and Suggs is excited about the prospect of going up against a great offense. “We like this game. It’s going to be fun," Suggs told reporters. "They're an explosive offense and we get a chance to compete against as good a team as there is. I think it’s going to be a good NFL game." Baltimore's offense is doing just enough to support the defense as quarterback Joe Flacco averages 298 passing yards with a total of nine TD passes and four INTs.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Ravens are the only team Brees has never beaten, owning an 0-4 record.

2. New Orleans CB Marshon Lattimore (concussion) was a full participant in practice this week and is questionable for Sunday.

3. Baltimore G Alex Lewis, who was carted off the field with a neck injury last week, returned to practice and could play Sunday.

PREDICTION: Saints 24, Ravens 16