Saints Run Defense Looks to Shut Down Physical Colts Running Game
The 3-4 New Orleans Saints have lost two in a row and four of their last five. They'll now play their third road third road game in four weeks when they play the 3-4 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
New Orleans has been one of the league's better defenses through the first seven weeks. They give up just 285.7 yards per game, ranking fourth, while allowing 18.1 points per contest and holding five opponents to 20 points or less.
Indianapolis counters with a 10th ranked offense at 361 yards per contest, with their 25.4 points per game ranking sixth. They have a lot of young, up-and-coming talent offensively, but have also committed 12 turnovers and have been a bit inconsistent.
The Colts came into 2023 wanting to build their offense around the athletic talents of QB Anthony Richardson, the draft's fourth overall pick. With Richardson out for the year, they still want to lean on the ground game for QB Gardner Minshew.
Here's a preview of what to watch as the Colts ground game squares off against a much-improved New Orleans run defense from a year ago.
Indianapolis Rushing Attack
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes the ball against the Cleveland Browns. Mandatory Credit: Bob Scheer-USA TODAY Sports
The Colts average 4.2 per carry and 124 yards per game on the ground, ranking ninth in the league. In essentially four games without Richardson, they've still managed to average 136 yards, with their 11 rushing touchdowns ranking third in the league.
Also without 2021 rushing champion Jonathan Taylor for the first four games, fourth-year RB Zack Moss emerged for the best stretch of his career. Moss already has a career-best 523 rushing yards and four touchdowns and was second in the league in rushing coming into Week 7. An aggressive runner, Moss breaks tackles regularly and has breakaway speed to go along with his ability to pick up tough yards between the tackles.
Taylor has been eased back into action, but picked up a season-high 75 yards on 18 carries against Cleveland last week. He has terrific vision to go along with a rare combination of power and speed. Taylor is capable of carrying an offense and is a threat on every down or situation.
Moss is dealing with an elbow injury sustained against the Browns. He has yet to practice as of mid-week, so his status is worth monitoring as the game approaches. If he can't go, then Trey Sermon will get some touches, but Taylor will go back to being the bell-cow. It's a role where he flourished the first two years of his career.
Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss (21) rushes the ball against the Tennessee Titans. Mandatory Credit: Bob Scheer-USA TODAY Sports
The Colts run more read-option plays than any team outside of perhaps the Ravens. This design was to take advantage of Richardson's athleticism, but the approach has continued with Minshew behind center. He won't run a lot, but Minshew is a good enough athlete to pick up yards on the ground in key situations against an unsuspecting defense.
Indianapolis has built their offensive line to suit Taylor and a physical rushing attack. Second-year LT Bernhard Raimann has had issues in pass protection, but is a mauler in the running game. At RT, Braden Smith is dealing with a hip injury that's sidelined him the last two weeks.
Rookie Blake Freeland will step in again if Smith remains out. Veteran LG Quenton Nelson is one of the league's top interior blockers, while C Ryan Kelly and LG Will Fries get good inside push for their runners.
New Orleans Run Defense
Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon (right) is tackled by New Orleans Saints linebacker Pete Werner (bottom) and New Orleans Saints cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason-USA TODAY NETWORK
The Saints hold opponents to 98.7 yards per game on the ground to rank 12th in the league. They have yet to allow any runner to have 65 yards against them and have given up only three rushing scores.
Three new additions at defensive tackle have solidified the team's middle. Veterans Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, and rookie first-round pick Bryan Bresee, along with Malcolm Roach, have made the Saints incredibly difficult to run on inside. Bresee, Shepherd, and Roach have combined for seven tackles for loss and have gotten excellent penetration to shut off interior lanes.
More than just pass rushers, ends Cam Jordan and Carl Granderson do a good job at defending the run. Especially Jordan, who is the league's best all-around edge defender. Granderson has improved against the run, but can sometimes be pushed off the point of attack and needs to be better disciplined when defending the edge against run blockers. Tanoh Kpassagnon provides solid depth.
Linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner are a top-tier tandem, especially against the run. Werner leads the team with 47 tackles and 28 solo stops. He shows outstanding instincts when flowing through traffic to the ball and has good speed in pursuit.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) is stopped by New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56). Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY
Nobody has better instincts than Davis, one of the NFL's top three linebackers. He has terrific range equalled by his athleticism and physicality. Davis, the glue of the defense, is dealing with a knee injury that limited him last week. He should be able to play, but Zack Baun is a massive downgrade if he can't.
New Orleans has an extremely aggressive secondary in run support. Corners Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo routinely cut down runners on the edge. Alontae Taylor is second on the team in solo tackles from his slot position. Safeties Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu can each be effective at the line of scrimmage, with Maye being the far better tackler of the two players.
What to Watch
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs against New Orleans Saints linebacker Pete Werner (20). Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY
The Saints have had a hard time defending off-tackle runs in recent weeks. Houston's Devin Singletary and Jacksonville's Travis Etienne, two athletic backs, each had some success on edge runs. Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss are both athletic enough to gash defenses outside and have excellent cutback ability.
Ends Jordan and Granderson must be able to stalemate the Indianapolis tackles. Better penetration from tackles Shepherd and Bresee would also force the Colts backs to take a wider path to the outside and clog cutback options. This would allow Davis and Werner to explode through open lanes to the ball.
Minshew doesn't have the athleticism to take over a game with his legs. However, the Saints have had major problems with quarterbacks that are able to make plays on the ground. Discipline, anticipation, and interior penetration are the keys to shutting down RPO plays and keep Minshew from having an impact outside the pocket.
The best key to Indianapolis success is establishing the run early. The Saints have struggled in the first half of two of their last three games defensively. Their goal will be to keep the Colts from getting any early momentum by bottling up Taylor and Moss.
