Going into the season Bobby Hebert was gearing up for an 0-2 start. The season-opening matchups with the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens seemed like a tough ask to open the season.
But if the Saints could find a way to split those games, big things could be on the horizon. That's exactly what happened, with the Saints rallying for a 24-17 win over the Ravens in Baltimore a week removed from coming one play short in overtime against the Lions. The Cajun Cannon's optimism has soared, and he thinks the NFL should be on notice.
“Watch out for the Saints," Hebert said. "I’m telling you, watch out, we coming. … Now I thought it would be the other way around. I really thought we’d beat the Lions instead of the Ravens, but it doesn’t matter."
Hear Bobby Hebert's full rant in the player above.
It was another game that featured a frustratingly slow start and a second-half deficit, but the Saints continued to show the resilience to battle back in those situations. Last week it was a comeback from 21 points down to force overtime. Today the Saints trailed 14-3 in the final minute of the first half before outscoring Baltimore 21-3 the rest of the way.
The Saints were stymied on offense throughout and were held to three field goals until back-to-back touchdown drives to take the lead, the last of which featured a pair of goal line sneaks that had some questionable rulings and interpretations, as well as a missed facemask call on the go-ahead score. The game ended with a Julian Blackmon interception as the Ravens drove for a potential tying score.
“I'll take this any day, considering how we won the day, how we handled the adversity," Hebert continued. "It was just outstanding ... how they fought, how they came back.”
A large portion of the credit on the day goes to Brandon Staley's defense, which had some tough moments in the first half and was gashed by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but clamped down the rest of the way. Henry was held to 87 total yards and was mostly a non-factor in the second half. The Saints sacked Lamar Jackson three times and forced most of the action underneath. Rashod Bateman led the Ravens depleted WR group with 7 catches for 88 yards and a TD.
“If we hold opponents under 20 points, we ain’t losing," Hebert said. "I think we’re gonna be that good and that efficient. Holding the Ravens to 17 points, that’s a big accomplishment and I think if we continue to do that, it’d be shame on Kellen Moore and the offense if we don’t win those games.”
The win means the Saints return home with some momentum for three consecutive games at the Caesars Superdome. Next up will be a matchup with one of the NFL's biggest surprises in the 2-0 Raiders, a team coached by former Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. That will be followed by a primetown showdown between the Saints and Falcons on Monday Night Football. That matchup doubles as the 20th anniversary of the Domecoming, the first game back in the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. The Falcons are 0-2 and coming off a 34-3 loss to the Panthers.
"There’s a lot of fight in this team and the bottom line, did you win or lose? And the Saints won and they’re 1-1," Hebert said, "and now I’m definitely looking ahead to the next two games, the Saints should be 3-1."
