The New Orleans Saints defense actually allowed the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday to be a lot closer than some have been thinking. They held the opposing offense to just one touchdown but were so worn out by the end that they couldn't get that last stop. If Aaron Rodgers never got that eight-yard scramble for a first down, the game could have turned out differently.
Following the loss, team captain Kaden Elliss said that the defense needs to look at itself in the mirror. "We kinda let them have a lot of those long drives, and I know our offense only scored 10 points, but at the end of the day, we're not getting them back on the field quicker," the linebacker said to the media. "Yeah, we held them to 16 points, but we need more three-and-outs, some takeaways, and some opportunities where you give the offense the ball back with momentum."
Currently, the Saints are tied for fourth place in most three-and-outs caused, with 18, and are tied for 11th in total takeaways, with nine. Not horrible and even a bit surprising, it still hasn't been enough for much success. It's obviously still something in the scheme that needs to be adjusted, like many other parts of the team.
The Saints' defense had a late-game collapse in Paris
New Orleans' defense ranks fourth in three-and-outs caused, is in the middle of the pack in takeaways, and is on the verge of being able to finish games, but it isn't quite there yet. It's arguably the difference between them being 2-5 and them having a record over .500. Hopefully after the bye week, the Saints' defense will be able to show that they can play all 60 minutes.
In total, the Saints' defense was on the field for 32 minutes and three seconds, seeing about 14.7% more action than the other side of the team. New Orleans offenses' short drives, costly turnovers, and measly 18 rushing yards kept sending their defense back out, and as a result, the unit never got a chance to rest. Looking at this game with hindsight, it's surprising that the Brandon Staley-led unit only broke apart at the end of the game and not any point before.
The Saints' defense was spending the whole game fighting back, doing their best to give the struggling offense a chance. Bending (allowing 148 rushing yards) but not breaking (no rushing touchdowns), they held the line for as long as they could. In the end, the unit was just too exhausted and had to give in to the inevitable loss.
The fatal mistake came with just under three minutes to go, with 2:46 left on the clock. It was third and six, and if the defense got a stop, the offense would get one last shot to redeem themselves. However, the pass rush failed to bring the 42-year-old quarterback down as he ran for the first down and sealed the game.
This isn't the first time the defense has collapsed like this; they did it as recently as the week six game against the Giants. With that away game not being the first time either (the defense allowed three touchdowns in the last 17 minutes of the week three Raiders game), it's truly been something they've been dealing with all year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google