Can the Saints win out with Taysom Hill, rushing and defense?

Defense

For as long as Brees has been in New Orleans, the team has been an offensive team first.

Having a head coach like Sean Peyton, who is the offensive mind of the operation, only furthers the expectations that the team will be better on the offensive side of the ball. However, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is finally receiving the praise he deserves.

While there were questions about the team’s secondary in the first few weeks of the season, the defensive unit as a whole has come alive as the season has gone on.

The team has always been a Stallworth when it comes to stopping the run, as they still haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since the 2017 season, but the team has launched themselves into the top five in almost every defensive category.

While the Panthers, Chiefs, and Falcons all rank in the top 10 for passing yards this season, it’s the Chiefs that will undoubtedly prove to be the biggest hurdle for this defense.

Wentz is leading the league in turnovers, an area where the Saints are thriving and Kirk Cousins is riding the back of Cook as the team tries to claw back into playoff contention, but Mahomes is a different beast.

The Chiefs this season are currently first in passing yards, third in passing touchdowns, and second in pass completions. However, the team isn’t one-faceted. Having Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell in the backfield has catapulted the team to second in rushing touchdowns as well.

The Saints are only 15th in yards allowed but rank first in red-zone defense. That bend-don’t-break strategy will have to be perfect against the defending Super Bowl champs.