The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
No fear in Saints’ secondary defense for NFC title game
METAIRIE, LA. >>
New Orleans gave up an average of 268.9 yards per game this season, but Lattimore said part of their unflattering ranking as a pass defense stems from a couple of poor performances early in the season, starting with a 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay in Week 1 and a 43-37 Week 3 overtime victory at Atlanta.
“We had a big hole to climb out of at the beginning of the season. We don’t really worry about that though,” Lattimore said. “We’re winning. So, we’re good.”
Lattimore said he also has improved individually since struggling some at the beginning of the season and might be playing his best now.
“I’m just making plays that come my way,” Lattimore said. “I have to be the one to make those plays. It’s a bigger stage right now. So, I have to come up and do the job for my team.”
Saints nickel back P.J. Williams said the Saints’ poor ranking against the pass is misleading because New Orleans ranked first most of the season against the run before finishing second. Meanwhile, Drew Brees and New Orleans’ high-powered offense have staked the Saints to a lot of leads.
And when teams fall behind, they tend to run less because it takes too much time off the clock.
“They can’t run the ball. You got to pass the ball. You’re playing from behind,” Williams said. “So a team might get 300 or so passing yards, but at the end of the day, they’re trying to come back.”
Williams said the Saints are more concerned with opposing QBs’ completion rate than how many yards they allow. On that front, New Orleans ranked somewhat better, at 23rd, allowing a 66.5 percent completion rate.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 28 of 40 passes for 391 yards and three TDs the previous time he played in the Superdome.
Whether he’ll be as productive in the rematch depends on how Los Angeles decides to attack the Saints, and how New Orleans responds.
The Rams often favor the running game, and rushed 48 times for 273 yards in a playoff victory over Dallas last week.
But Los Angeles largely abandoned the run during its midseason meeting with the Saints after New Orleans raced to a 35-14 lead in the second quarter. The Rams wound up rushing just 19 times in a 45-35 loss.
Lattimore said if the Rams abandoned the run again, New Orleans’ secondary will have to be prepared for heavy doses of receivers Brandin Cooks, whose speed makes him an elite deep threat, and Robert Woods, who lines up all over the field.