New Orleans Saints: 3 Bold predictions for Week 2 vs. Browns
2. The defense is better than last week
Maybe this prediction is a little too vague, but maybe not. Last week, the New Orleans Saints defense was awful and that’s putting it lightly. They looked like a shadow of their former selves and last year seemed like a far-away dream. A score of 48-40 proved just that.
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With the Browns heading to New Orleans, the Saints have a home-field advantage and they need to take advantage of it. The Browns are hungry for their first win and so are the Saints but they can’t give up. The Saints D couldn’t get pressure on the Fitzpatrick, couldn’t go toe-to-toe with the receivers and had trouble stifling the run game.
It was a mess all around and they can’t make the same mistakes again this week. This week, the Saints defense needs to focus on pressuring Tyrod Taylor. When the Steelers did it, Taylor was panicked and failed to make connections. As for the run game, the Browns don’t have a solid running back, so the Saints have to be ready for anything.
Lastly, the Saints need to focus on getting takeaways. Marshon Lattimore, in particular, has to step up his game. As former Defensive Rookie of the Year, the stakes are incredibly high for Lattimore. He needs to go toe-to-toe with Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon.
As a unit, the Saints defense has to work together. Last week was a look at what went wrong. Against the Browns, the Saints have a chance for redemption. If they can get at least some pressure and a takeaway, it’s an improvement. That’s all we can really ask for right now.