Saints Defense Tenacious In Victorious Effort Versus Titans

The New Orleans Saints defense limited the Tennessee Titans stars throughout their Week 1 victory

NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Saints defense gave a tenacious effort for the 70,024 fans who packed Caesars Superdome in the 2023-24 season's opener. Both teams summarized the first half with plenty of miscues, failed red zone conversions, and a placekicking battle, resulting in a 6-6 tie.

New Orleans' defense and the Who Dat Nation crowd noise were factors in the low production from Ryan Tannehill, DeAndre Hopkins, and Derrick Henry.

The teams were tied again at 9-9 following a booming 52-yarder by rookie placekicker Blake Grupe. However, against the New Orleans defense who confused the veteran signal-caller who found himself under tremendous pressure most of the afternoon. Joe Woods disguised his secondary coverages, and the defensive line formed a wall preventing Derrick Henry from breaking long runs. Lineman Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson, and rookie Bryan Bresee broke through to frequently harass Tannehill.

After three quarters, New Orleans' defense intercepted Tannehill three times and added three sacks:

Sacks

• Carl Granderson - 1.5
• Pete Werner - .5
• Cam Jordan - .5
• Bryan Bresee - .5

Interceptions

• Marcus Maye - 1
• Paulson Adebo - 1
• Marshon Lattimore -1

NOTABLE SAINTS DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE

• Through 3 quarters, Tannehill targeted DeAndre Hopkins eight times with four catches and 31 yards of offense.
• Henry had 12 carries for 61 yards and no touchdowns.
• Tannehill completed 9/21 passes for 108 yards, nine completions, and a 19.6 rating.
• Demario Davis was tenacious with a team-high 10 tackles, preventing runs after catches on Hopkins and stopping Derrick Henry on multiple plays.
• Marshon Lattimore had four passes defended of the team's 11 before the 2:00 warning.
• Pete Werner proved again that he's a tackling machine with 9 stops.

New Orleans squeaked out a 16-15 victory, but the team defense proved they're formidable again in 2023-24.