Brandon Staley loves the “silent tape.”

The silent tape, or the All-22 copy of each game, tells the truth. It provides the entire picture, angles of what can’t be captured on the broadcast. And there’s no commentary to influence the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator, not that he’d be tempted in the first place. Any answers that Staley could ever need are right there, ready to be watched.

And lately, for those bothering to watch, the silent tape is sending a clear message: The Saints’ defense has vastly improved.

The unit is still far from perfect, but they are approaching top 10 territory in a number of categories — and for some, they’re already there outright.

After holding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 3 of 13 on third down in Sunday’s upset win, for example, the Saints rank sixth (35.%) in third-down defense. That’s 15 spots better, and six percentage points lower, than they ranked a year ago.

Even at 3-10, the Saints’ defense is now 12th in yards allowed per game, sixth in passing yards allowed per game and tied for 11th in expected points added per play — a stat that measures efficiency.

What’s even more apparent: The Saints may bend, but the defense doesn’t break.

Slow starts remain a significant issue for New Orleans as the black and gold have allowed opening-drive touchdowns in four of the last five games, bringing its total to a league-high eight such scores.

But as the season has progressed, the Saints have started to do a much better job of holding teams to field goals when they reach scoring territory.

In the last four games, the Saints have allowed nine field goals — to just six touchdowns. The latter is tied with the Miami Dolphins — winners of four straight — for the fewest allowed leaguewide in that span.

“Not all 3-10 (records) look the same,” linebacker Demario Davis said. “What I mean by that is nobody wants to be in adversity … but you can either lay down in those times or you can show up. And I think if you look at how we play the game defensively … what it shows is you would not think you’re looking at a 3-10 defense.”

There are many reasons behind New Orleans’ growth. Rookies like safety Quincy Riley and Jonas Sanker are starting to benefit from their heavy amount of reps. The defense, as a whole, has gotten more comfortable with Staley’s scheme, which relies on a lot of zone to prevent opposing offenses from going over the top. And players and coaches have said they’ve improved after facing many of the league’s top teams early on.

But the Saints’ turnaround also centers around a mindset.

“One thing about our defense is we keep coming back,” cornerback Alontae Taylor said. “Our number is called and we go out there and play.”

Stats to know

9.4%: The Saints are also much better at limiting explosive plays this season. The Saints have only allowed explosives to happen on 9.4% of their plays, the eighth-best mark in football. Last year, the Saints ranked 23rd at 11.7%.

28: Chase Young has only played in eight games, but he leads the Saints in pressures with 28, according to Next Gen Stat. The defensive end’s strong play is another reason New Orleans has gotten better over the course of the season. He missed the first five weeks with a calf injury.

4%: According to The Athletic’s projected draft order, the Saints now only have a 4% chance of landing the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft after upsetting the Buccaneers. The Saints will take wins where they can get them, however.

Up next

It’s a rematch with the Carolina Panthers.

The Saints have another chance to play spoiler as Carolina (7-6) is now tied with Tampa Bay for the NFC South lead. The Panthers have had two impressive wins since their humiliating loss to New Orleans last month. Bryce Young threw for 448 yards against the Atlanta Falcons and then helped pull off an upset over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Saints last swept the Panthers in 2023.