The numbers up and down the Saints' 2022 defense have left a bit to be desired, but one thing has stood out: Demario Davis has been getting to the quarterback ... a lot.
Through nine games, the Saints star linebacker has 6 sacks, already setting a new career high and good to rank No. 15 in the NFL. But more remarkable is the efficiency with which he's done it. According to Pro Football Focus, he's only had 40 "pass rush" snaps this season, his 27.8% win rate is No. 1 in the NFL among players with at least 39 such snaps.
"I do see me positionally evolving to more of a pressure player," Davis said. "I think that that's something that I've continued to work at, being better at in my career, though I've still been able to do high-volume things as a run-stopper and in coverage. I just think that the greatest strength of my game is in pressuring the quarterback."
Listen to a discussion about Demario Davis' pass-rush stats and hear from the Saints linebacker himself on Friday's episode of Inside Black & Gold. Can't see the player above? Click here.
Prior to 2022, Davis' career high was 5 sacks, which he hit in each of 2017 and 2018. Davis has also logged 100-plus total tackles in each of his last 6 seasons. He has 50 tackles through 9 games this season.
For perspective, here is a breakdown of the snap totals and win rate in each of Davis' seasons with the Saints leading up to this one, per PFF:
- 2022: 40 snaps (4.4 per game), 27.8% win rate
- 2021: 126 snaps (7.9 per game), 11.7% win rate
- 2020: 136 snaps (8.5 per game), 21.5% win rate
- 2019: 168 snaps (10.5 per game), 16.5% win rate
- 2018: 112 snaps (7 per game), 13.9% win rate
Pro Football Focus also hands Davis a 91.2 pass rush grade. No one else on the Saints is graded above 79. That figure registers in the top 10 across the entire NFL.
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It all begs the question: Why not utilize Davis more as a pass-rusher given the frequent success? Dennis Allen couldn't point to any specific reasons, nor why it couldn't happen more as things go forward.
"I think we're trying to do the things that we need to do to try to play good defense and so he'll get his share of rushes, and there's going to be some times where he's going to be asked to be a little bit more in coverage," Allen said. "I do think that he's one of the better blitzing linebackers in our league in terms of the things that he can do ... through the middle of the pocket."
If a bigger share of the pass-rush pie is on the horizon, Week 10 probably won't be the best bet for that to start. Standout Will (weak side) linebacker Pete Werner has already been declared out with an ankle injury. Kaden Elliss will most likely shift over from the Sam role (strong side), with Zack Baun taking over in that position as he did in Week 9. The team also signed Nephi Sewell off the practice squad for depth, a player who flashed a good bit in the preseason.
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Davis also happens to feature on of the top coverage grades on the team, per PFF. He's been targeted 19 times in coverage, allowing 13 catches for 116 yards. That's the lowest completion percentage against (68.4%) among Saints linebackers this season. He's simply an all-around excellent player, and that continues to be the case in Year 11 and at age 33.
For this season to turn around from a 3-6 start, which is more than possible in a rundown NFC South where no team has a winning record entering Week 10, it'll likely have to start with Davis and defense that was expected to be a strength.
"My mindset is always just to help the team to do whatever I can to help it get a win," Davis said. "But I definitely see pressuring the quarterback as probably one of my best assets."
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