Don’t sugarcoat it: the New Orleans Saints defense has been a massive disappointment recently. They’ve tallied back-to-back subpar performances and are trending in the wrong direction. They must rebound and improve for the Saints to make a playoff push in 2026.
Despite a strong start, the unit has declined these past two weeks, giving up an average of 40 points in weeks three and four. Even with a high-octane offense, it’s irrational to expect them to keep that pace. As a result, the team’s recent struggles can be directly tied to this.
This isn’t on any one player or position; each group has its own issues that they must battle. What’s important is that Brandon Staley rallies the locker room and prepares them for future matchups. They must have a short memory and move on, focusing entirely on the next week.
Saints must stop the run for anything to change
The Saints' pass coverage has been mediocre, but that stems from their inability to stop the run. This was blatant against the Atlanta Falcons, who rushed for 205 yards. While the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t light up the box score in week three, they still ran the ball efficiently, gaining 113 yards on 4.2 yards per carry.
It’s easy to blame injuries for this, but that’s not the main issue. Losing Kaden Elliss, Carl Ganderson, and Anfernee Jennings will hurt the defense, but it’s not enough to cause this. Instead, it’s a much deeper issue that Brandon Staley must figure out.
An efficient rushing attack is dangerous alone, but what it sets up is exponentially worse. The Saints will be forced to commit extra run defenders, more than likely a safety, in the box throughout the course of the game. This leaves the secondary, who’s struggled, vulnerable to big plays.
This especially rings true for Brandon Staley, who doesn’t run many single-high safety looks. However, he will be forced to if this problem persists. And right now, the secondary isn’t reliable enough to stop the pass game from doing this.
This was in both weeks three and four. Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. aren’t top-10, and probably even top-20, quarterbacks in the league. Yet they were able to torch the Saints’ defense because of the threat of the run.
Brandon Staley and the Saints must fix this to save the season. The offense, even with its issues, can only do so much. It’s time that the defense rebounds and establishes itself as a formidable unit.
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