Against the Colts’ passing attack, the Saints’ pass defense hopes to bounce back
The New Orleans Saints, who are 3-4 overall, have lost four of their previous five games going into Week 8. Against the 3-4 Indianapolis Colts, they’ll attempt to turn things around on the road. After four weeks, this is their third road trip.
Despite their defensive stumbles over the past month, New Orleans’ defense is still fourth in the league. Only 285.7 yards and 18 points are allowed each game by the Saints. They rank second in third down % and have given up the fewest first downs in the NFL.
Indianapolis responds with the 10th-best total yardage and sixth-best scoring offense in the league. The Colts rank 26th in the NFL in turnovers (12), despite averaging 25.4 points and more over 361 yards per game.
The fourth overall pick and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was supposed to be the focal point of the Colts offense. Gardner Minshew, a five-year veteran, will now handle quarterback duties since Richardson is gone for the season.
Here’s how the Saints measure up against the Indianapolis passing attack before they try to stop the team’s brutal running game.
COLTS PASSING GAME
Indianapolis is a run-first team, although they rank 10th in throwing yardage. With a 1-2 record this season, Minshew has started three games. In those starts, he has averaged 287.7 yards, completed almost 65% of his passes, five touchdowns, and four interceptions.
A streaky passer, Minshew can blow past defenders or make blunders that cost his team. In the past two games, he has thrown for over 300 yards, yet in a defeat to Jacksonville two weeks prior, he threw three interceptions. Minshew, another underappreciated athlete, with the patience to stay in the pocket and the ability to evade pressure.
WR Michael Pittman Jr. has been extremely effective over his four seasons, despite playing for seven different quarterbacks. Big and strong wide receiver Pittman leads the Colts in receptions (42) for 489 yards, with four catches of at least seventy yards.
Third-round rookie selection Josh Downs has 33 receptions for 401 yards, ranking third among all rookies. Despite being only 5’10” and 175 pounds, Downs is an excellent slot target and a fantastic player on the open field.
Second-round pick (WR) in 2022 Alex Pierce has only caught 14 passes for 202 yards thus far, falling short of the breakout season many had anticipated. Pierce, a 6’3″ and 211-pound target with excellent speed, is still capable of turning games-changing plays for his offense. Isaiah McKenzie, a talented wide field player, completes the depth chart.
Injured While Jelani Woods is missed, youngster Andrew Ogletree (sixth round) and second-year Kylen Granson have been reliable possession receivers. Granson will miss this week’s games due to a concussion, despite having 16 catches for 170 yards. With seven more receptions for 95 yards, Ogletree will now start.
Early in the season, Zack Moss, a running back, relieved the injured Jonathan Taylor and showed himself to be a capable target out of the backfield. With a combined 24 catches for 222 yards, he and Taylor are very good in the open field following screens or check-down passes.
The offensive line of the Colts is designed more for running the football than for pass protection. Nineteen times have Indianapolis quarterbacks been sacked, with Minshew taking 12 sacks in his three starts.
The area at the edge, where LT Bernhard Raimann and RT Blake Freeland have surrendered a great deal of pressure, is particularly concerning. RG Will Fries, C Ryan Kelly, and outstanding LG Quenton Nelson have improved inside defense a little bit, but they haven’t been consistent.
SAINTS PASS DEFENSE
Fourth in terms of pass defense is New Orleans. They are allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete at a rate of 57.8% and gain 187 yards per game. No quarterback has ever passed for more than 260 yards, and four out of the last seven have been held below 200.
With eight interceptions so far, the Saints have surpassed their total for the entire 2017 season. That being said, their 13 sacks are the fewest in the NFL, which is surprising for a team with such a strong front line.
Finish With nine quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks, Carl Granderson has become one of the team’s most impressive players. DE Cam Jordan, a perennial Pro Bowler, is having a rough start. Jordan has four quarterback hits, one sack, and a team-high 11 pressures. Granderson and Jordan are both entering opposition backfields, but they both need to improve on their ability to influence the play more frequently.
First-round rookie DT Bryan Bresee appears to have great potential, particularly as a pass rusher. Bresee has six pressures, 1.5 sacks, and is become more disruptive every game. Malcolm Roach, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders complete a strong interior rotation, but they still need to do a better job of attacking quarterbacks downfield.
Demario Davis, a linebacker, keeps up his excellent play. Despite having two sacks and six pressures, Davis is still able to cover tight ends or backs anywhere on the field. Pete Werner, another linebacker, isn’t as athletic in coverage or as disruptive as a pass rusher. But Werner is becoming a more proficient blitzer and demonstrates excellent awareness in zones.
In their secondary, no club possesses greater talent and depth than the Saints. It’s a unit that can shut down even the best passing attacks and is only permitted one 100-yard receiver. However, in four losses versus mediocre (at best) pass catchers, this position has seen several important malfunctions.
Marshon Lattimore, a standout cornerback for New Orleans, usually trails the primary receiver for the opposition. Lattimore has only allowed a 54.5% completion percentage when targeted, one interception, and seven passes broken up.
Third-year CB Paulson Adebo, who has intercepted one ball, broken up five others, and only allows a 55.6% completion rate, is the player on the opposing side of Lattimore. Adebo would be the starting corner on most teams, but due of his physical style and the foolishness of the referee, he attracts flags.
Alontae Taylor, a CB in his second year, had an amazing first season outside before experiencing some rough times from the slot. Despite this, Taylor’s physicality has resulted in seven interceptions, a sack, four tackles for loss, and a completion percentage of fewer than 63%.
Security Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye are a flexible tandem that can play close to the line of scrimmage or offer rangy coverage support. Together, they have intercepted five passes and each has one. Fifth-round rookie selection Jordan Howden’s versatility and breadth of coverage have shown signs of a promising future.
WHAT TO WATCH
In losses to New Orleans, players like Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love, and Baker Mayfield didn’t always post flashy stat lines. Nevertheless, against the Saints defense, each player was able to establish a rhythm and make plays at crucial junctures.
There was a severe lack of pressure applied to each of those four quarterbacks. Furthermore, the secondary allowed primarily unimpressive receivers to produce backbreaking plays.
In addition to stopping Indianapolis’ running game, New Orleans needs to control the trenches in order to apply significant pressure to Minshew. The Saints must perform to the best of their covering talents and produce in the secondary.
The main cause of New Orleans’ four-game losing streak is not even close to being their pass defense. However, the unit that executes plays to shift the momentum or with the game in the balance separates a decent defense from a great defense.
The Saints need this defense to be excellent, not just good, in order to win games because of their persistent offensive issues.
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