Saints defense making strong case as being best in entire NFL
The New Orleans Saints may not look like an elite team…yet. Make no mistake though, the Saints do have an elite unit, and it's arguably best in the league.
It’s pretty safe to say that the New Orleans Saints just may have the best defense in the entire NFL. That’s not a hyperbolic statement after two games either. Yes, there appears to be a lot of great defenses out there in this year’s NFL. The defenses San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and to a slightly lesser extent New York Jets have been getting the most national praise and attention, while the Philadelphia Eagles are still out there as well. The Saints defense absolutely deserves to be in that group, if not at the head of it.
One of the more remarkable stats surrounding this defense is that Monday Night’s 20-17 triumph on the road against the division rival Carolina Panthers marked the tenth game in a row the Saints defense allowed 20 or fewer points in a game. Re-read that again so you can properly sit on it and let it boil.
Obviously that streak extends to the 2022 season, but with that being the case the consistency the group appears to be playing with, especially considering the overhaul on the defensive line this offseason, speaks volumes to the quality of this defense. They have young guns, and they’re led by the creamy crop of veterans in Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann Mathieu. It’s hard to ask for more than that when every facet and level of the defense is represented.
Now while the offense hasn’t caught up quite yet, and even if they don’t, they at the very least have a stable running back on the way back as well as the stability at the quarterback position that they haven’t had in recent years. It’s a formula the NFL world has seen win before.
The #Saints look like they may have to do what the 2000 Ravens did if things don’t change. Rely on their veteran defense to keep holding these young and/or overmatched QBs to under 20 points and pray their offense led by the veteran QB in his second stop is able to score enough
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) September 19, 2023
It’ll be interesting to see how far this defense can carry the team. Even with Derek Carr still finding his groove, the Saints still have an advantage at quarterback over most of their schedule, and that point is exacerbated by the strength of this defense.
All in all, the defense of the New Orleans Saints more than deserves to be mentioned among the elites of the NFL. They have a strong case to make that they are the best in the NFL period.