This defense (1 Viewer)

[madsaint1967]

....Is a special defense, not gonna lie, good as Dallas or San Fran ? Maybe close by looks of it.

 

[SonOfNOLA]

The secondary keeps our defense elite. San Fran and Dallas has better pass rush. But Saints defense matches up the same overall.

 

[Rexman100]

ill finished your statement, This defense.,,, Is happy that the blame is on Carr and OLave right now. This defense….is also happy it didnt miss easy kicks that cost us 2 games. Grupe is super happy that OLave got a speeding ticket.

 

[SWJJ]

It's hilarious that we have threads that say this defense is only mediocre.

 

[Brandon13]

The defense is good, maybe very good.. but short of great imo. We just don't have the push up front of some other teams.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

They'd be a lot better if supported by a palpable running game.

 

[Pensacola]

Our defense can tango, but unfortunately our offense cannot.

 

[danr5160]

Best DBs in the league; linebackers are serviceable. Not enough DL pressure on the QB. Good D but not great. Better than the offense however.

 

[Artifactual]

It's hilarious that we have threads that say this defense is only mediocre.

Some things aren't a laughing matter.

The defense is good, maybe very good.. but short of great imo. We just don't have the push up front on't have the push up front of some other teams.

Next Gen Stat Of The Game. Saints vs. Jaquars
The Saints Defense generated only 3 Team pressures against Trevor Lawrence, an 8.6% pressure rate, the lowest pressure rate by a defense in a game this season. The Saints pass rush did not pressure Lawrence on a single drop back in the 2nd half.

The Saints had Zero Sacks for the game. On the 3 pressures generated in the 1st half, Lawrence found large lanes to step up and run through. For the game, Lawrence rushed 8 times for 59 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per rush with a long run of 26 yards. He accomplished this all while questionable to even play, coming off a mild knee sprain just 4 days earlier, while wearing a knee brace. Lawrence has a career rushing average of 4.7 yards per attempt. The 26 yard run against the Saints matched the longest run of his career.

With all of that said, I do think the Saints have one of the better overall defenses in the league. They have proven that through the first 7 games, holding opponents to 20 points or less in 5 of the 7 games played. With an average or better than average offense they should have won at least 5 of those 7 games.

The Saints Defense Achilles Heel appears to be getting Pressure and Sacks on the opponents QB. They currently rank 24th in the league with only 13 Sacks. Other weaknesses to date have been giving up chunk plays such as the Kirk 44 yard catch and run for TD on a mismatch with the Honey Badger, and DPI penalties. They gave up almost 70 yards on a single scoring drive against the Packers due to penalties. The Saints Defense has given up 18 first downs by penalties so far, almost 3 per game on average.