The Saints defense is the biggest reason they can win the Super Bowl
The Saints defense put the clamps on for the fifth straight game.
A team quarterbacked by Taysom Hill is the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. That is a fact befitting of 2020, but it is one that owes more to the play of the fearsome New Orleans Saints defense than it does the performance level of Drew Brees’ fill-in.
Hill produced a much more promising display than he did in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos. The Saints quarterback threw the first touchdown pass of his pro career and added another as he finished 27-of-37 for 232 yards in their win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Yet the only reason that respectable if unspectacular effort was enough in the Saints’ 21-16 victory in Week 13 was because of a defense that has rounded into form and can propel New Orleans to its second Super Bowl title.
The win marked the fifth successive week in which the Saints have conceded fewer than 20 points. They finally gave up a touchdown in the fourth quarter as Matt Ryan trimmed the deficit to five points by connecting with Russell Gage, who became the first opposing player to find the endzone against New Orleans since San Francisco 49ers rookie Brandon Aiyuk did so on the opening drive in Week 10.
Ryan had a shot at authoring a stunning turnaround on the final drive but saw his desperation heave towards Julio Jones knocked away by D.J. Swearinger.
That has been the formula of the Saints’ defense for much of this streak. Dennis Allen’s team lay the foundation for New Orleans to take the lead by keeping offenses under wraps early and consistently make the crucial plays needed to finish the job.
This latest effort was not the defense’s most dominant, with Ryan sacked only three times having suffered eight sacks in Week 11, but it was enough to seal a win that clinches New Orleans’ place in the playoffs and sends another message to the Saints’ NFC rivals that they will present a formidable test in the postseason.
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New Orleans hosts the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 and, with the way the Saints defense continues to shut down opponents, that matchup could well be a Super Bowl preview.