Saints Latest Loss Again Exposes Team's Biggest Flaw

The most underrated but possibly biggest weakness on the Saints was on display again in Sunday's loss to the Rams

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) is tackled by New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi (0) / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints dropped to 4-8 with Sunday's 21-14 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams. While not yet mathematically eliminated, it is all but a formality that the Saints will miss the postseason for a fourth year in a row.

There's a long list of reasons why New Orleans has sunken to the lower depths of the league. An unending string of injuries stripped the offense and exposed their lack of depth, especially at receiver. The defense aged quickly. Poor execution on both sides of the ball, bad coaching, crippling mistakes, and inability to finish drives and plays have doomed the team all season.

All this leads to a daunting list of offseason needs for New Orleans. Many fans want a new quarterback. Pass rusher, safety, wide receiver and running back depth, a playmaking tight end, along with youth and athleticism at linebacker have all been major deficiencies this year.

All those issues were exposed in Sunday's loss to the Rams. There was another glaring problem that caused the defeat. It's an area that's been a liability all year, and one that should be close to the top of the Saints needs this offseason.

Defensive Tackle

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Saints rank 26th against the run, allowing and average of 136 yards per game on the ground and a league-worst 5.1 per carry. Since Week 3, New Orleans has surrendered 150.6 rushing yards and 5.5 per run.

Over their last 10 games, the Saints have faced seven teams that rank in the bottom of the league for rushing production. In almost all of those contests, the opposition had their best rushing output of the year or close to it. New Orleans was absolutely helpless against the ground attacks of the Eagles (172 yards), Chiefs (139), Buccaneers (277), Broncos (225), Falcons (181), and Rams (156).

Probably most embarrassing and also a microcosm of the Saints' performance against the run was when they faced Sean Tucker of the Buccaneers. In 16 career games before facing New Orleans, Tucker had a total of 53 yards. In six games since playing the Saints, Tucker has a total of 80 yards. Tucker had a mind-boggling 192 total yards against the Saints in Week 6, including 136 on the ground with just 14 carries.

Tucker is the most egregious example. It hasn't mattered whether the Saints have faced a bench warmer, average, good, or great back--they've often looked like a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) breaks away for a big gain against the New Orleans Saints / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

There are several reasons why this once formidable unit is now one of the worst in the league. Tackling has been pathetic at all three levels, both in technique and effort. The edge has too often been undisciplined in their assignments. Linebackers have either been too slow to track down the ball or have taken gambles because of the failure of the line in front of them.

Above all else is the weakness of the New Orleans interior defenders. Saints tackles have only 11 tackles for loss and have failed to get inside penetration or clog running lanes and lost their assignments up front. This has led to opposing runners to get to the second level instantly on interior runs or provided easy cutback lanes on off-tackle plays.

As pass rushers, the unit has fared slightly better. New Orleans tackles have combined for nine sacks and 20 QB hits. Second-year DT Bryan Bresee is responsible for most of that, recording 15 pressures, 11 QB hits, and a team-high 6.5 sacks.

Even against the pass, New Orleans has failed to push a pocket back into a quarterback or been unable to prevent opposing passers from stepping up to escape from pressure. Without consistent finishers on the edge, the Saints pass rush has typically been invisible, especially in crucial moments.

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) against the Los Angeles Chargers / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

At just 23, Bresee has tons of upside and is a major building block for the Saints future. While he needs to be a bit more consistent, he's shown the ability to be a perennial Pro Bowler. On the lean side for a tackle (6'5" and 305-Lbs.), Bresee is more of a pass rusher and slasher in the gaps rather than a big-bodied space-eater in the middle.

Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders round out the three-man rotation the Saints like to use in the center. Rookie Khristian Boyd and John Ridgeway III have seen some reps, but New Orleans will instead typically slide ends Cameron Jordan or Payton Turner inside in passing situations for their interior rotation.

Shepherd, in his seventh NFL season and second with the Saints, is a solid player but not a standout in any aspect of the game. Saunders has the build you'd want in a space-eater (6' and 324-Lbs.), but is more reliant on athleticism than power.

Simply put, the Saints lack a powerful behemoth inside. A player that would clog running lanes with their mere presence, tie up multiple blockers on every snap, not get pushed around at the point of attack, and push a pass pocket back into quarterbacks. Such a player rarely fills up a stat sheet but would make Bresee a far more effective force and set up one-on-one matchups on the outside for edge rushers.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (29) runs the ball as New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (50) defends / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The better defenses throughout the NFL, especially against the run, have exactly this type of dual-threat power player in the middle. Ideal examples are Tampa Bay's Vita Vea, Dexter Lawrence of the Giants, and Javon Hargrave of the Eagles. Reaching back, tackles like Tony Siragusa (Ravens) and Casey Hampton (Steelers) were crucial members of outstanding championship defenses.

Not long ago, the Saints had exactly that type of player in DT Malcom Brown. A Saint in 2019 and 2020, Brown didn't contribute much statistically. What he did do is exactly what this defense lacks--collapse inside pass protection, clog running lanes, and tie up multiple blockers to give single blocking opportunities to productive teammates.

An inside space-eater isn't the flashy addition that a pass rusher, a playmaking defensive back, or offensive skill position players would be. All are needs for the Saints this offseason, but so are some of the equally important spots that don't grab headlines.

The New Orleans Saints need a mammoth-sized defensive bully. Once the bullies of the NFL, this Saints defense has been battered and pushed around by most opponents this year. Changing that must be a top priority this offseason.