When New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis came off the field after a decisive final defensive stand against the Seattle Seahawks, he had a pretty clear message.
"When you go against the Who Dat Nation," he said, "you'd better bring your hardhat."
That hardhat defense allowed one explosive play early in the game, an 84-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf as Marshon Lattimore got his feet tangled with the receivers and fell to the turf. From that point, the Saints clamped down. The Seahawks missed a pair of long field goals, and their lone score came off of an Adam Trautman fumble.
But not everyone is a believer in this Saints defense, most notably incisive columnist and Tom Brady obsessive Skip Bayless.
"We'll see how much he's talking after Tom Brady visits Sunday," Bayless tweeted.
Why Bayless was awake and tweeting at 3:37 a.m. Central time is a question for another day. But what isn't in question? Davis is keeping his receipts.
It's also an odd take ahead of a pivotal NFC South matchup between the 4-2 Saints and 6-1 Bucs, considering this will be the fourth such matchup since Brady signed on in Tampa Bay a year ago. The Bucs got the better of the Saints in the divisional round, a result marred by three interceptions and a pivotal fumble with the Saints driving to extend their lead in the third quarter.
However, the Saints defense proved twice in the regular season last year that it was more than up to the challenge. The group has undergone change, but many of the key pieces from the defense that held the Bucs to 26 points over those two games, including Davis and star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, remain in New Orleans this time around. The second of those games was a 38-3 beatdown in Tampa Bay, with the Saints intercepting Brady three times and holding the Bucs to 8 total rushing yards.
Six games into the 2021 season, the Saints defense ranks No. 3 in the NFL in points-per-game allowed at 16.8, No. 3 in the NFL in rush yards per game allowed at 80.8, and No. 8 in the NFL in total yards per game allowed at 331.5. The defense has allowed 119 total first downs, good for the third-fewest in the NFL, though that number is a bit skewed due to the early bye week.
We'll see if the Saints' "hardhat" defense can continue, but they've already moved beyond the question of whether this group can be dominant and drive winning football. Brady and the Bucs are the next challenge when they arrive at the Caesars Superdome in Week 8, and Bayless will surely have much to say on the subject.
