The New Orleans Saints defense is on the brink of making history. They’ve already made recent history: the Saints have beaten two different teams this year without allowing a touchdown, the first time that’s happened since Sean Payton was hired as head coach, way back in 2006.
For perspective, they went into their game against the Arizona Cardinals having won just eight games since 2006 without allowing a touchdown. One of those victories came in Week 6 over the Jacksonville Jaguars, making 2019 the first season since Payton took over in which multiple games were won without the defense giving up a touchdown. The full list, per Pro Football Reference:
- 2019 Week 8 versus Arizona Cardinals, 31-9
- 2019 Week 6 at Jacksonville Jaguars, 13-6
- 2017 Week 4 at Miami Dolphins, 20-0
- 2014 Week 3 versus Minnesota Vikings, 20-9
- 2012 Week 15 versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-0
- 2010 Week 9 at Carolina Panthers, 34-3
- 2008 Week 6 versus Oakland Raiders, 34-3
- 2007 Week 12 at Carolina Panthers, 31-6
- 2006 Week 3 versus Atlanta Falcons, 23-3
Whether their defenses have been historically terrible or simply mediocre, that side of the ball hasn’t been as glamorous. It’s certainly improved in recent years.
And now they’re playing better than even the best performances we saw in 2017 or 2018. The 2019 Saints have allowed fewer than 300 yards in five consecutive games, extending their streak of outings without allowing 100-plus rushing yards to 34 straight games. It’s remarkable production, and shows how the Saints aren’t just fielding a “bend but don’t break” unit — they’re winning on defense at all levels of the field, and doing a great job of keeping opponents out of the end zone. That’s not a bad place to be in, going into the bye week.
It helps when the defense is led by playmakers like Cameron Jordan. The defensive end sacked Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on Sunday, his eighth sack of the season and No. 79.5 of his career. That number trails just two players in Saints history: defensive end Wayne Martin (82.5) and Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson (115). As long as the unit continues playing well, Jordan’s stats (and the defense as a whole) will only keep rising.
