There haven't been many things to be excited about regarding the New Orleans Saints this season. This is especially true on the defensive side of the ball, where the Saints were expected to be one of the top units in the league.
Entering their Week 12 bye, the Saints rank 31st in total defense and 20th in points allowed. New Orleans is a lowly 29th in pass defense, 25th against the run, and last in average yards per carry.
The overall performance of the defense is the primary reason that ownership finally made the move to fire Dennis Allen after Week 9. Quite a plummet for a unit that owned top five or ten rankings in several categories for the previous six years.
New Orleans still has quite a bit of defensive talent. Those players will all need to step up if the team has any hope of clawing back into contention when they return from their bye.
The Saints News Network writers debate our top defensive performers through Week 12.
John Hendrix
Defensively, picking an MVP is a little more challenging, but going with the vets like Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu make the most sense. Davis would have to get the nod here, and the reasoning is pretty self-explanatory.
Mathieu has had his fair share of injuries this year that has forced him out. Aside missing the first Falcons game, Davis has been the iron man on defense that we always expect and is still making big plays despite the age.
Kyle T. Mosley
Defensive MVP is tricky. My mind considers Demario Davis. It has been Tyrann Mathieu to provide stability in an injury-riddle New Orleans defensive backfield. At 32, the NOLA's native son has delivered with 3 interceptions, 6 passes defended, and a forced fumble through 11 games.
Besides dropping at least two INTs and missing several open-field tackles, his leadership through the turmoil was apparent. Even when Davis and Kamara refused to step up and answer post game questions at the podium, Tyrann did.
Bob Rose
Demario Davis has lost a step but is still a terrific player. Any success that this defense has is typically because of his elite recognition and tenacious play from opening gun to final whistle. However, the woeful underachieving of the defensive line has limited Davis' effectiveness.
To me, Alontae Taylor edges out Davis as the most consistent big-play performer for this defense. Taylor has created chaos in opposing backfields while recording four sacks, seven tackles for loss, several other stops for minimal gains, and forcing two fumbles. His 47 solo tackles lead the team and his 66 total tackles are second only to Davis on the team.
Taylor's coverage numbers aren't what you'd like. He's misjudged a few balls that should have resulted in interceptions and doesn't have an interception at all this year. However, he's also been the most consistent defender in coverage for a leaky defense.
Taylor has allowed 66.2% completion percentage when targeted this season. His 12 passes broken up lead the team.
With Marshon Lattimore traded and Paulson Adebo injured, it's often fallen on Taylor to cover the opponent's best wideout. He'll need to be more consistent in that role, but has shown that he has the ability for those responsibilities.
At just 25, Alontae Taylor is one of the defensive building blocks for this team's future. In 2024, Taylor has made a strong argument for the most consistent playmaker on the unit.
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