Saints’ No. 2 ranking in sacks may not be sustainable

By Ross Jackson

It isn’t often that a team ranks No. 2 in sacks across the NFL only to be questioned about its ability to to hold the ranking. But that will be the case for the New Orleans Saints. 

New Orleans is currently tied for the second-most sacks in the NFL with eight. The only group with more are the New England Patriots with nine. The Saints are tied with the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. 

However, there’s a glaring difference between the Saints’ ranking and those around them: pressure percentage. 

A Reverse From 2024

Last year, when the Saints finished just below the middle of the league in both pressures and sacks, the value of pressure on opposing quarterbacks was touted as being just as important as the sacks themselves. However, it stands true that all pressure is not created equal. 

New Orleans was one of only three teams to have a pair of pass rushers to rank within the top-20 in pressures generated. Defensive ends Chase Young and Carl Granderson finished No. 6 and No. 17 respectively, per Next Gen Stats. 

However, their 11 combined sacks fell short of the other pairs. 

• Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter (No. 2) and Will Anderson Jr. (No. 18) combined for 23. 
• Jacksonville Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen (No. 9) and Travon Walker (No. 15) combined for 18.5

This year, the Saints have gotten off to a faster start in sack production, even without Young hitting the field. The context of those sacks, however, call into question the sustainability of the ranking. 

Pressure Generated

Depending on which analytics site you use, the Saints hover around the No. 30 or 31 team in pressure percentage. This metric simply measures the rate at which a team generates pressure on pass rushing downs. 

This means that, almost the reverse of last year, while the Saints are finishing plays at the quarterback, they aren’t getting to the passer at a consistent enough rate. 

This could be a big part of the reason that the Saints have struggled in third downs, particularly third and long. 

New Orleans currently takes the longest time to create pressure against passers with its average time to pressure at a league-slowest 3.27 seconds. They are one of only two teams, along with the Buffalo Bills (No. 8 in sacks), to take more than three seconds on average to pressure the quarterback. 

Currently, every NFL team averages a faster time to throw with the New York Jets the slowest at 3.24. 

So when quarterbacks, on average, are getting the football out of their hands at a faster pace than that which a team can generate pressure, sustainability for that defense is going to be in question. 

Context

Two of the Saints five sacks in the season-opener against the Arizona Cardinals were for zero yards. On one, quarterback Kyler Murray was run out of bounds by Granderson, who is currently tied for the NFL lead in sacks with 3.5. On another, linebacker Pete Werner stepped up and filled an escape lane for a scrambling Murray at the line of scrimmage. 

Both plays have their value as containing rushing quarterbacks has always been a thorn in the side of the New Orleans defense. But they aren’t the same kinds of plays that create a fearsome pass rush by beating blockers and achieving quick pressure, a threat the Saints have not presented for some time. 

If the Saints keep their sack numbers up despite the low pressure percentage, the latter will fall out of conversation quickly. But until then, these will be important parameters to identify and track as the 2025 season continues and as New Orleans hopes to get its top edge rusher back on the field in Young.