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"We were already thin, so everybody already knew how the game was going to go,” said Johnson, who didn’t practice Wednesday and might miss a few weeks of action. “We already had it planned that everybody had to know how to play everybody else’s position to a certain extent.”

Coach Sean Payton on Wednesday said that the cooler temperatures brought on by a rainstorm aided the depleted defensive line’s cause against Tampa Bay. The Bucs also ran fewer than 60 plays on offense, and the Saints were able to mask their scant numbers on the defensive line with “enough packages and flexibility that allow ... different personnel on the field,” Payton added.

“Those guys battled,” Payton said about Hicks, Jenkins and Jordan. “I thought they handled it well.

“Fortunately, we’re getting some guys healthy, too.”

The performance against the Bucs followed an outing against the Falcons in which Hicks had three solo tackles and one of the Saints’ three sacks on quarterback Matt Ryan.

Jordan — who’s generated more quarterback pressure than any other defensive end playing in a 3-4 scheme so far this season, according to the NFL analysis website Pro Football Focus — assisted on three tackles and landed a hit on Ryan. Jenkins had a tackle and chipped in on another stop.

“We just go out there like a band of brothers, and we have to have each other’s backs at the end of the day,” Jenkins said in response to a question about the extra work he, Hicks and Jordan have been tasked with. “For us, this is the moment we trained for.”

Read more: Saints defensive line aims to get healthy | Saints | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

halloween 65

We finally look good up-front, with all the time they had to be on the field they did as well as expected, can't wait for those boys to be able to get relieved in and out. They got tired in the end but really held up well.

dizzle88

still love that stat

How long has it been since one of our defensive players has been this dominant in pressuring the QB

TheOak

Our defensive front is probably a testament to our Organizations ability to put something together on defense with out having to blow the bank on big names...

triman

You got to have the big boys up front. Rotation is key to keeping them fresh in the game a d healthy for the playoff run. The faster we get the depth back the better.DL has been a strength so far and that bodes well for our future.

hagan714

healthy first then judge the line

ScottF

Man, I don't know if one guy stretching and another one limited is truly 'getting healthy'
I guess the good news is that we have not signed anyone, so these guys must be ready. Hard to believe we made it thru a game with only 3 lineman

dueceloose

Getting pressure is fine well and dandy but I want sacks! On sacks on sacks .. Great qbs handle pressure better than most.

ScottF

three sacks and 2 picks (1 at end of game) do not seem like a lot, but add a few grounding penalties, holding calls and hurried throws and I'd say we were doing pretty well, especially considering we have had no D-line rotation whatsoever

TheOak

Thats a different part of the internetz