Ravvens' Minter points to pre-halftime sequence in loss to Saints

Baltimore's head coach says a blocked kick and kickoff return before halftime let New Orleans back into a game the Ravens led 14-3.

Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter told reporters Monday that his team's loss to the New Orleans Saints began slipping away well before the fourth quarter. With the Ravens up 14-3 late in the first half, New Orleans blocked a Baltimore field goal, broke a long kickoff return, and added a field goal before intermission.

Minter said the blocked kick came after the Saints got penetration and that his operation was "maybe a half second late." He added that those were three points the team wanted back later in the game.

Discussing the kickoff decision, Minter said he debated between a touchback—which would have given New Orleans the ball with three timeouts and 25 seconds—and kicking it short to burn clock and try to pin the Saints inside the 30.

The troubles continued after halftime. Minter noted the defense allowed a third-down conversion to open the third quarter, and the Saints tacked on another field goal to make it 14-9 from what had been a 14-3 game. In his view, that chain of missed chances—not any single play—shifted the momentum.