Being completely honest, Cam Jordan doesn’t like it when opponents line up to go for it on fourth and short against the New Orleans Saints.
Jordan wants to see the punter come out after a third-down stop, because that is the signal the defense has done its job. But if teams are going to test the Saints, then so be it.
“It means they don’t fear us,” Jordan said. “It’s like when you’re talking to your kids, and sometimes they don’t listen. I’m telling you what I need you to do. Punt it. If you don’t want to punt it, OK, then it’s going to cost you.”
Those aren’t empty words, at least not all of the time.
Though short-yardage situations typically favor NFL offenses — on average, teams across the league are converting 66.7% of their third-and-1 opportunities this season — the Saints have made those situations closer to a coin flip.
The Saints have given up a first down on 12 of 21 third-and-1 situations — a 42.9% stuff rate that ranks sixth in the NFL this season.
New Orleans also has been especially tough on fourth and 1 lately, yielding just four first downs on eight attempts in the last six games.
“If we can get off the field on fourth and short, that’s a turnover for us,” defensive lineman Bryan Bresee said. “We don’t expect people to be able to get that yard on us. We’ve proved it over and over again that we can do it, so I feel like if we’re doing anything less than that, that’s on us.”
The Saints’ performance on third down is just one piece of what has become an increasingly clear picture: In its first year under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, this defense has turned around quite a few problem areas from the previous regime.
Staley’s defense is allowing 4.95 yards per offensive play. If it maintained that pace, that would be the lowest mark by any Saints defense since 1997. It represents nearly a full yard improvement from last season (5.77).
That applies to rushing defense (126.2 yards allowed per game and 4.1 yards per carry this year, vs. 141.4 ypg and 4.9 ypc last season) and passing defense (177.3 ypg and on track to be team’s best year since 1996). It also is true of the pass rush (the Saints are on pace for 42 sacks this season, their best year since 2022). The Saints have forced more turnovers this year (18) than last (17) with two games to go.
It hasn’t been a perfect season by any stretch, but the improvement from last season and even from the start of this season is even to find.
That includes those gotta-have-it situations when the Saints have a yard or less to defend.
The Saints were a mess in those situations last season. They allowed opponents to convert 19 of 26 third-and-1 attempts (73.1%) and 7 of 9 fourth-and-1 attempts (77.8%). This season, they’ve improved both numbers by about 15 percentage points.
Some of that credit goes to the dirty-work players on the interior who rarely light up the box scores. Offseason acquisitions Davon Godchaux and Jonathan Bullard have made the Saints stronger at the point of attack.
“That’s the monster in the middle that isn’t talked about enough,” Jordan said. “For us to have the success we have on these third and shorts, fourth and shorts — it’s interior play.
“Let the big men eat, and let the edges rush.”
But it’s a collective effort. In order to have a truly effective short-yardage defense, Staley said, the second- and third-level defenders need to seek out contact. Demario Davis has made several critical stops, and the defensive backfield also has chipped in — like Kool-Aid McKinstry did with a chase-down tackle on fourth down against Miami earlier this season.
“We practice a lot of those high-leverage situations, and we scout it heavily,” Staley said. “We really try to pour into it, because any time you get into one of those (downs and distances), whether it’s a third or fourth and 1 or it’s on the goal line, big things are at stake.”
New Orleans has defended only 35 such plays this season — a fraction of its overall defensive snaps — but the high-leverage moments can play a huge factor in swinging the outcome of games.
The fourth-down stops are turnovers. A third-and-1 stop can be the difference between a punt and a touchdown drive.
“You look at the win probability after knocking one of those down, it totally changes the complexion of a football game,” Staley said. “I think that we’ve been able to do a good job of that this year. We just need to stay the course. They’re not easy downs, and you’re just one game away from feeling different.”
