Jonas Sanker was asked about the New Orleans Saints defense's streak of eight straight games of not allowing a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was news to the safety, but his response to it embodied who the Saints have been this season.
"The most important thing is to finish strong." That's been true for the team on both sides of the ball, and this stat puts a large spotlight on the defense's ability to rise to the occasion in the most important time.
Technically, the Saints allowed a touchdown in overtime to the Detroit Lions. That's not part of the fourth quarter, however, and one touchdown allowed in the fourth quarter and overtime over the course of half a season's worth of games is still quite impressive. The Saints also haven't been blown out in this stretch, meaning there was no reason for teams to take their foot off of the gas.
Saints' clutch gene is more proof that 2025 wasn't a fluke
In this eight game stretch, the Saints have gone 5-3 and outscored every opponent along the way. It was a question for a defensive player, but the offense has found a similar level of success in the last 15 minutes. They've scored a touchdown in each of the last seven games in the fourth quarter.
This streak has obviously overlapped from last year, and it's another bit of proof that last season wasn't a fluke. All the hope built from last year's strong finish came with the asterisk of doing it against weak competition.
It's easy to write of the Dolphins, Titans, Jets, and the entire NFC South. No one is doing that to the Lions and Ravens, and that's who these fourth quarter successes have come against this year. They outscored the Ravens 15-0 in the fourth quarter, while closing the game with an interception, and outscored the Lions 10-3 in the same time frame.
It's good that the streak of keeping teams out of the end zone has been brought up, because the strong closes to the game have been viewed primarily through the prism of the offense. They've struggled to get it going early in the game, so the late game heroics have been the massive story. The defense just stays steady for 60 minutes, but that steadiness shouldn't be overlooked.
The Saints are a fourth quarter team, and that's one of the best things you can be in a league that frequently comes down to the wire. The offense has been electric, and the defense has been suffocating. Most importantly, they're doing against teams that creates confidence that the Saints can be legit, not just a team that feasts on lesser opponents.
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