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NEW ORLEANS – Two games in the 2018 regular season and it's almost already seen for Saints from a defensive statistical point of view.
In the same period last year, the Saints defense ranked last in the league against the pass (388.5 yards per game), the last in total defense (512 yards per game) and the 31st in points (32.5).
In entering the match of the third week against the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints rank 29th (325.5), 29th overall (428), 30th (33) and the last third allowed (7) .
The current defensive ranking is not consistent with the defensive rookie of the 2017 NFL.
"We are at the bottom of the league right now," said Marshon Lattimore cornerback NFL.com. "Man, it's embarrassing – we just have to do things right – it's enough to see those numbers on the board – we do not want to be known to be a terrible defense."
Given Lattimore's passionate reaction, it's easy to know that there is a sense of pride among the core of defensive players, who all proved last year that things were starting, rather than to know how everything ended.
After a slow start to the season in 2017, the Saints showed discernment as the season progressed and they entered the 11th week, placing seventh against the pass, eighth in total defense, and fifth in points allowed.
At one point in the 2017 season, especially weeks 7 to 10, the Saints pitted the quarterbacks at 130.2 yards per game, and the defensive rise was one of the main reasons why the team has the NFC South title and a playoff spot.
The Saints defense slipped late in the game at home and finished the season in 15th place against the pass, ranked 17th overall and ranked 10th. The respectable numbers, however, provided optimism for a postponement considering that the unit remained mostly intact.
Linebacker Demario Davis, safety Kurt Coleman, nickel cornerback Patrick Robinson and rookie defensive end Marcus Davenport are the most notable additions, while the remaining positions reflect the same staff.
Defensive tackle Tyeler Davison is a remnant of the last three seasons and feels that having the same base will be beneficial for a turnaround given the experiences of the 2017 campaign.
"I think it helps a lot because we know that we are capable of good defense and that it raises expectations," Davison told NFL.com. "I also think we'll get everyone back – I'm not saying we have that mindset – but it can create a state of mind:" Oh, we just have to show up and things will happen like end of last year.
"This is not the case here because you really have to work and we work as hard as we worked last year on all the details to get together in defense, we do it and I think everything will be fine."
Lattimore was in agreement on this point.
"We know how to reverse the situation," said Lattimore. "We have a team full of dogs – defense and offensive – so we know how to overthrow it – we know what we have to do."
Meanwhile, the Saints' desire for recovery should begin with the elimination of big games on the ground.
In two games, the Saints have cleared nine sets of explosive passes, typically defined as a total of 20 yards or more. Four of these incidents resulted in touchdowns, including three from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1.
The Saints allowed four sets of explosive passes in the second week against the Cleveland Browns, one of whom led a 47-yard touchdown pass at the end of the fourth quarter, but they won a 21-18 victory .
Defensive end All-Pro Cameron Jordan admitted Thursday to a group of reporters at his locker that he was hoping for a faster start in defense until the season. But Jordan thought the Week 2 performance could give momentum to straighten the ship in time for Sunday's match against the Falcons' powerful attack.
"I hope so," Jordan said. "I think, again, a little confidence booster playing the team we just played with [wide receiver] Jarvis Landry there. We have certainly left an explosive game unfold on the course that we must eliminate.
"It will be up to us to eliminate these explosive games, so when we come back, again, we have to do exactly that with this next offensive, for the next corps of receivers they have."
Free Security Marcus Williams echoed Jordan, adding that the turnaround of the 2017 season is in the past and that there is no panic in the locker room.
Instead, it belongs to the current group of saints to apply the lessons learned from the mistakes of the last two games to go forward.
"It does not matter if it was last year or this year," Williams told NFL.com. "It could be the same players, it could be new players, but we are in the field making these mistakes or giving up games, so we need to be able to make sure that and eliminate those games. . "
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