The New Orleans Saints defense has been sub-par to start the year. Up to this point, the secondary had been the biggest area of concern. Their inexperience was prevalent, leading to big plays. However, that wasn’t a major issue against the Chicago Bears. Instead, the run defense was getting obliterated, creating serious concerns for the future.
The Bears had 222 yards on the ground in Sunday’s game. D’Andre Swift led the charge with 124 yards and one touchdown. He was followed by rookie Kyle Monongai with 81 yards and a score. This duo of backs torched the Saints. Swift won with speed while Monongai produced with his power. Regardless of the archetype, they couldn’t be stopped, averaging over six yards per carry.
It’s worth noting that this is a Ben Johnson coached team. He is excellent at scheming up plays, especially with a duo of backs. This was evident with Jamyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. Swift and Monongai are great but shouldn’t be this effective. This creates concerns for the future of the Saints defense.
Tackling is a major issue for the Saints
Tackling has been a concern all season for the Saints. It’s a major reason why they were gashed by the Bears. A defender being in a perfect position to stop a play is meaningless if they can’t make the tackle. The Saints have 69 missed tackles this season, per PFF. That’s an average of nearly 10 per game (9.86 to be exact). Unacceptable for a winning defense.
Struggles from the secondary are understandable; it’s a young group who are still learning. But it’s a different story for the rest of the defense. The only “young” players who play meaningful snaps (over 15 last week) are Danny Stutsman, Bryan Bresee, and Khristian Boyd. The rest are established veterans. This needs to be improved in future weeks.
The run defense was a major disappointment in the Saints loss against the Bears. They couldn’t make tackles even if they were in the correct position. They need to improve for any chance of success later in the season.