New Orleans Saints have a top 10 defense entering 2021 season
With a new era of New Orleans Saints football on the horizon, having a good defense is crucial. Fortunately, the Saints have one of the best defenses in the league, coming in at No. 9 on CBS Sports’ list of top 10 defenses for 2021.
Jared Dublin of CBS Sports put the list together and had this to say about the Saints’ ranking:
"The Saints have rarely turned the ball over in recent seasons, and they’ve also scored quite often. That’s led to New Orleans’ defense being afforded favorable field position, with their opponents ranking 24th, 28th, 30th, and 30th in average starting field position over the last four years. Especially in the event that Jameis Winston ends up the starter under center, that’s likely to change."
Dublin also mentioned that the Saints are normally ranked much higher but that losing Trey Hendrickson, Janoris Jenkins, and Sheldon Rankins will hit this defense hard. While I agree losing those three players isn’t fun, Hendrickson wasn’t a big name until this past season and Rankins took a bit to get going.
The New Orleans Saints defense is getting the respect it deserves.
Transitioning from Drew Brees to either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill means that the offense is going to have its fair share of rough days. It’s important for the defense to be able to keep the games close for when those days come for the offense.
As for the rest of the list, Washington, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh round out the top five. It’s not great seeing the Bucs so high on this list, but the Saints had no problem scoring on them last year and it’s virtually the same defense returning in 2021, so fans probably aren’t all that worried.
The Saints defense has a much tougher task ahead of them this year with the team heading in a new direction. Brees won’t be around to bail the team out of sticky situations and it’ll be up to the defense to live up to their top-10 ranking week in and week out.
Next. 3 Reasons Why Winston is Right Choice at Quarterback. dark
Do you agree with the New Orleans Saints defense being ranked as the No. 9 best unit?