Baltimore taking control in AFC North

Don’t expect the Baltimore Ravens to make life easy for the Cincinnati Bengals. If the Bengals hope to repeat as AFC North Division champions in 2022, they will definitely have their work cut out for them.

Baltimore stayed a game ahead of Cincinnati in the division standings after a 27-13 win over Andy Dalton and the New Orleans Saints marked the Ravens’ third straight win.

Kenyan Drake, filling in for the injured J.K. Dobbins, rushed for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Baltimore’s defense continued its return to dominance. Linebacker Justin Houston turned in his third straight multiple-sack game and added an interception.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for one score and added 82 yards rushing to keep the Saints guessing.

New Orleans had a chance to move into a three-way tie atop the NFC South with Atlanta and Tampa Bay with a win, but its inability to stop the Ravens proved its undoing. Baltimore converted nine of 15 third down opportunities.

The Saints, meanwhile, went just three of 11 on third down and were limited to just 13 combined plays on their first four possessions.

Dalton completed 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards with an interception and a touchdown to tight end Juwan Johnson, which came in the fourth quarter when the game was virtually out of reach. Alvin Kamara managed just 62 yards from scrimmage, his lowest output in five games.

“We got just got beat,” Dalton said after the game. Baltimore “deserved to win this one. They got after us.”