Alontae Taylor's Breakout Game Sparks Saints' Dominant Defensive Performance

Saints defensive back Alontae Taylor sets a franchise-record for sacks in a game by a cornerback.

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) celebrates a sack against Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints dominated all three phases of their 47-10 victory against the Carolina Panthers. New Orleans held the visiting Panthers to under 200 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor stood out with three sacks on the afternoon, tying an NFL record for a cornerback.

Taylor is a former second-round pick by the Saints in 2022 who has moved a few different positions because of his versatility. On Sunday, the game plan was for Taylor to get after the quarterback, and he did just that.

"Last year, we didn't have too many pressure calls where I got home," Taylor said. "To see (coach Dennis Allen) call it, he felt the energy we had as a defense, and he felt confident that I was going to get home and everyone else was going to do their job. Now, I want the pressure every time come third down."

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) is tackled as he scrambles out the pocket by New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Saints were not a heavy blitz team last season, blitzing on less than 25% of snaps. Against the Panthers, New Orleans dialed up the pressure and rattled second-year Panthers quarterback Bryce Young all afternoon.

The blitzes were timely, with all three sacks by Taylor coming on third down to stop any potential Panthers drive. Head coach Dennis Allen told the media postgame why he thought Taylor would be perfect to blitz in his game plan.

Well, he's fast," Allen told reporters. "That would be No. 1, and he's aggressive. It's one thing to say you're going to send somebody on a pressure, but they have to be willing to go in and deal with the noise that's in there. Every now and then it's a little noisy, and there's a big 300-pound offensive lineman and things of that nature. I think he's fast; he's aggressive."

The former Tennesse defensive back ran a 4.36 at the NFL combine and was originally a wide receiver before converting to cornerback during his freshman year in college. Taylor has good ball skills, having intercepted two passes last season and recording 14 pass deflections. His blitz prowess is another added wrinkle New Orleans can use moving forward.

The Saints travel to Dallas this weekend to face a Cowboys team that looked impressive in its opening game against the Cleveland Browns.

Starting Saints' cornerback Marshon Lattimore left Sunday's game with an apparent hamstring injury. If Lattimore can't play, that leaves the door open for Taylor to make an even more significant impact on the field this weekend.