New Orleans Saints: 3 Takeaways vs. Patriots in Week 2
By Nick Sparrow
2. The Defense Remains a Problem
It isn’t a huge surprise that the Saints defense is struggling in the earlier weeks of this season. Over the last three seasons, the Saints have ranked 28th, 32nd, and 31st in points allowed during the regular season. The surprising fact is that the Saints don’t seem to be doing anything to get better. This has been the biggest problem for this team for years and yet it continues to occur.
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In their first two games, the Saints have allowed 1,041 total offensive yards and seven touchdowns. It is nearly impossible for the Saints to win games if their defense cannot hold opponents to under 28 points. In the first half alone, the Saints have been outscored, 46-19, in their first two games of the season.
The Saints offense has always been the focal point of these team. However, their defense has become such a liability in recent years that their offense can no longer make up for it. The Saints struggles on defense are looking even worse after it came out they are reportedly looking to trade safety Kenny Vaccaro. Vaccaro is one of their top defensive players and they trade rumors are looking to be even more substantial after Vaccaro was benched during Sunday’s game.
If the Saints do trade Vaccaro, it would strongly suggest that they are giving up on improving their defense. Even if New Orleans gets a defensive player in return, it doesn’t make sense to trade or bench one of the only thing Saints fans have to be happy about on the defensive side of the ball. It is definitely possible that the Saints are willing to trade Vaccaro for draft picks and plan to enter a rebuilding phase soon, as the Saints have missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons.