Week 5 of NFL action sees the New Orleans Saints playing at home against the Minnesota Vikings. It's the third straight home game for the Saints, who are 1-3 after dropping those first two in their building. They'll try to get right against Minnesota, a surprising 4-0 despite some offensive deficiencies.
New Orleans was expected to have a strong defense to lean on in 2026 after finishing ninth overall and fourth against the pass last season. Through four contests, that has been far from the case. While the Saints have been abysmal against the run, perhaps most surprising are their struggles against the pass. With the Vikings, the Saints get an opponent who has scored only one touchdown in their last 32 offensive drives and have won two games
without reaching the end zone at all. Here, we have a look at how the struggling New Orleans pass defense matches up with the Minnesota passing attack.
Minnesota Vikings passing game
- 56 yards per game (32nd)
- 61.8% completion percentage
- 4 touchdowns (24th)
- 2 interceptions (7th)
- 13 sacks
Quarterback Kyler Murray was brought in this offseason to upgrade the play at the position. At best, the jury is still out so far. Murray threw for a season-high 247 yards against Miami last week, but continues to have trouble reading defenses, has a poor feel for the rush, and can be inaccurate in crucial moments. Still, Murray can make plays on the move and has some nice weapons to target.
Minnesota's top two wideouts are dealing with injuries and are listed as questionable coming into Week 5. Justin Jefferson (ankle) is considered one of the best route runners in the league. Jefferson has over 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons and has 13 catches for 179 yards in three games. He missed last week's win over Miami, but Jefferson at even 75% is better than most. Jordan Addison (hamstring) has been a great complement to Jefferson. Addison has averaged 63 catches and 870 yards over his first three seasons and has 11 receptions for 163 yards so far. Former 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings was brought in this offseason to complete a strong trio but has just 2 receptions so far. Still, Jennings is a big target and a proven producer. Jefferson and Addison are both expected to play, but the Vikings will turn to Tai Felton and Odell Beckham Jr. if that changes.
Kyler Murray has one of the league's best tight ends as a security blanket. T.J. Hockenson has caught 22 of his 26 targets for 195 yards to lead Minnesota in all three categories. Hockenson has been an accomplished receiver throughout his eight seasons and is facing a Saints defense that has been utterly helpless against tight ends.
Protecting Murray might be an issue. Left guard Donovan Jackson is already on injured reserve and left tackle Christian Darrisaw (concussion) has been ruled out against New Orleans. Additionally, right tackle Brian O'Neill (knee) is listed as questionable after being a limited practice participant all week.
New Orleans Saints pass defense
- 212.5 yards per game (14th)
- 68.3% completion percentage
- 7 touchdowns (21st)
- 1 interception (25th)
- 8 sacks
- 21 QB hits
New Orleans doesn't even remotely resemble the unit that ranked fourth against the pass last season. The secondary often gives a ludicrous cushion to opposing receivers, allowing for easy pitch and catch. Whether by scheme design or player decision, corners Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley have proven they are better than that and must start challenging wideouts more. On the back end, safeties Justin Reid and Julian Blackmon also need to be more aggressive and create plays for the defense. Saints defensive backs have a collective 7 passes broken up, with McKinstry owning a team-high 4 of them. That's a number that needs to increase.
It's clear that second-year safety Jonas Sanker is not the answer to replace the free agent departure of Alontae Taylor. The Saints have been putrid against tight ends and passes to slot receivers. Sanker isn't the only one responsible, but it might be time to give veteran Martin Emerson more reps at the position. Linebackers Pete Werner and Danny Stutsman are each liabilities in coverage, adding to the woes versus tight ends. This is a problem magnified by the injury absence of Kaden Elliss (calf), who will miss his second straight week. Coordinator Brandon Staley could consider playing the athletic Isaiah Stalbird on obvious passing situations, but that has yet to happen this year. Where Werner or Stutsman could be useful is on interior blitzes to aid a pass rush that has been nonexistent at times.
New Orleans has gotten little pocket disruption from their down linemen. Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton are capable, but need to create more havoc. Behind them, there is no competent depth. This has forced the Saints to use Cameron Jordan or Carl Granderson more often as down linemen, which is a more natural position for both. Unfortunately, neither have played close to their typical pass rush production. Granderson has a sack and only 4 pressures, with Jordan producing no sacks and only 1 pressure.
Chase Young has played his tail off and is easily the team's defensive MVP through the first quarter. Young has 3.5 sacks, the only Saint with more than one, along with 7 pressures in spite of constant double and triple teams. He's undoubtedly the key to the New Orleans defense, but would be even better with a complementary rush from anyone else.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints pass defense looks to get right against Vikings passing game
