Saints Defense Looks to Finish Strong at Jacksonville

The New Orleans Saints defense has been largely responsible for allowing the team to continue winning games without Drew Brees; but faces another difficult challenge against an underrated Jaguars offense

Besides great coaching and the stellar play of back-up QB Teddy Bridgewater, it's fair to say that the New Orleans Saints have still continued to win games without Drew Brees; because of the heightened effort turned in by their defense in the past 3 games.

To that point, the Black and Gold has reeled off three consecutive victories that include wins against NFC playoff contenders Seattle and Dallas, that has seen them improve their win-loss record to (4-1) overall and kept them atop the NFC South Division standings.

However, the Saints realize that if they hope to continue that trend tomorrow when they face the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field in downtown Jacksonville, Florida; that they will have to make sure to avoid any last-second heroics by Jaguars rookie QB Gardner Minshew.

That requires giving an all-out, maximum effort for an entire 60 minutes of the tomorrow's contest, something they haven't really been able to do with the possible exception of the win against Dallas.

Oct 6, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (98) celebrates after a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

“Look, I'm not trying to sound displeased,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said to the local media after practice on Thursday. “We're sitting here with the record we have, and yet I don't feel like we're playing near our best football and we have to work to get that corrected.”

While Payton didn't specify or single out any one in particular, it's likely that he was making reference to the defensive unit; which undoubtedly has stepped up and risen to the occasion in Brees' absence, but still hasn't met the standard that the coaching staff expects from them.

Specifically, that includes the ability to not let up during the 4th Quarter and to  keep playing all-out up until the "final whistle" — something they haven't been able to do just yet.

“We’re trying to play all 60 minutes instead of letting up a touchdown in the last 40 seconds because it doesn’t matter,” Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said after Thursday's practice. “Every point matters, every touchdown matters, every game matters".

© Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Discounting their loss to the Rams in Week #2 when Brees originally got injured and the entire team ended up playing poorly; the defense has also struggled to close out games in their wins over Houston, Seattle, and even Dallas two weeks ago, in spite of what most observers felt was a dominant performance.

Tomorrow they'll be faced with yet another challenge against a team that's more than capable of giving them a battle for a full four quarters in the Jaguars; who in spite of their win-loss record (2-3) have one of the best offenses in the NFL at the moment.

The Jaguars offense features a variety of top-notch offensive skill players that includes the much-heralded rookie Minshew at the QB position; along with RB Leonard Fournette and WR DJ Chark — both of whom are Louisiana natives and starred previously at LSU; and are currently among the League leaders in rushing and receiving yardage.

The 23-year old Minshew has unexpectedly emerged as one of the league’s most efficient passers; and somewhat unbelievably, Minshew actually has a higher completion percentage than a handful of elite-caliber QB's that include reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers. 

Oct 6, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws a pass against Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Thompson (54) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Minshew is also the only quarterback in the league with at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of over 100 in each of his five games this year, and he’s been even better inside the red zone, where he's thrown 8 of his 9 total touchdown passes thus far on the season.

But the much-hyped rookie QB hasn't done it all by himself; and he's been very notably been bolstered by a strong "power" running game that features the NOLA native and former LSU All-American Fournette, who is currently 3rd overall in the NFL in rushing yardage with (512) yards.

Additionally, Minshew has benefitted even more from the unlikely sudden rise to prominence by Chark; the former Alexandria High School star who now has 27 catches for 485 yards — an 18.0 yards per reception average, which is the best in the NFL for receivers with 20 catches or more. 

Oct 21, 2018; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark (17) is tackled by Houston Texans safety Kareem Jackson (25) during the fourth quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Chark already has 5 touchdown catches through the first five games of the season, and he's currently tied for 2nd overall in the League in that category along with Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper. 

As of this very moment: Chark is on pace to put up nearly 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns, and he clearly will be one of the players that the Saints defense will be focused on stopping tomorrow at TIAA Bank Field.

“Our guys understand that we’ve got to finish better," Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said to NOLA,com / New Orleans Advocate beat writer Luke Johnson. "That’s what the great teams do in the league; they know how to finish".

 "We’re certainly not a finished product. We’ve got a lot of room for improvement. … Our focus is every day, let’s continue to get better.”

Sep 29, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) sits on the ground as New Orleans Saints players celebrate following a 12-10 win at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It goes without saying that the defense should be more than focused and fully aware of what the consequences of earning another victory without Brees would bring them; which is an opportunity to better their positioning within the NFC and put themselves firmly in place to make a serious Playoff run, once the 40-year old future Hall of Famer returns to action.

But of course that will require them to not let up and to keep the intensity level up for an entire 60 minutes, especially if the team takes a lead late into the 4th Quarter of tomorrow's contest — something that they hope to accomplish, by finishing strong....