Saints are the clear underdogs in Week 9 vs. Ravens

The New Orleans Saints will look to take down the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, but the experts don't think they'll come out on top.

On one hand, you have a Ravens team severely decimated with their top tight end, top wideout, and top running back all expected to sit out on Monday. In any other season, it would have been disrespectful to predict the Saints losing this one, but in 2022, NOLA's season has been driven far off the tracks.

Sitting third in the NFC South and having played some absolutely garbage games, the Saints are rightfully considered the underdogs. Andy Dalton shined in last week's shocking blowout of the Raiders, but then again, Dalton wasn't asked to do very much.

The shining stars for this game will likely include newly minted WR1 Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara, and Taysom Hill could even make a splash play here and there.

For the most part, though, the Saints don't have the record nor the consistently performing talent to earn the title of "favorites" in this matchup. The Ravens, despite their heavily injured roster, have.

Saints should get used to being the underdogs in 2022

Here's who the experts are picking to win Week 9:

• Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Saints 24, Ravens 25

• Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Saints 17, Ravens 28

• Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Saints 26, Ravens 20

• Matt Verderame, FanSided: Saints 22, Ravens 25

Let's hear it for Pete Prisco! The long-time CBS Sports analyst believes the Saints' defense can keep up their dominant streak after shutting out Derek Carr and the Raiders last week, and why not?

If there was ever a time for the Saints' defense to start living up to expectations, it would be now. Talented playmakers like Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, and Alontae Taylor (who will absorb some of Marshon Lattimore's snaps) can keep this a low-scoring affair, and not having to defend against Mark Andrews is an obvious bonus.

That being said, most experts are still taking the Ravens to win this one. Rosenthal points out the vast difference between each squad's special teams unit: the Ravens boast one of the best, the Saints have one of the worst.

New Orleans will have to fight and claw their way up in the gnarly NFC South, yet we wouldn't completely count them out in Week 9. Everybody loves a good underdog win.