hagan714

My two biggest takeaways after reviewing the tape of the New Orleans Saints' defense: The tackling was just as bad as advertised, but the cornerback play wasn't as glaring a concern as one might expect.

The Saints allowed a franchise-record 445 passing yards in a 37-34 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons Sunday. But they rarely got burned over the top by big-play threats Julio Jones and Roddy White. The only two times the Saints got beat deep were a 35-yard pass to Devin Hester and a 27-yarder to Jones, both against cornerback Patrick Robinson.

The bad news was that the Saints were repeatedly burned by the underneath stuff, and they didn't get enough pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan. Most of the Falcons' yardage came via those missed tackles, too many big cushions in zone coverage, pick plays and screen plays.

Here are some more observations:

Missed tackles: Yikes. Pro Football Focus credited the Saints with 16 missed tackles -- and many of them were costly.

Film study: Reviewing New Orleans Saints defense - ESPN

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"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins