The ugly New Orleans Saints pass defense looked like it would be in trouble on Sunday, as the team was set to face the Carolina Panthers on the road minus two of their starting cornerbacks in Marshon Lattimore and Sterling Moore, who were both ruled out for Week 3 due to injuries, according to Herbie Teope of NOLA.com.

Cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore (concussion) and Sterling Moore (chest) are ruled as out for Week Three.

Somehow, the Saints' defense found a way to confound quarterback Cam Newton and come away with a 34-13 victory.

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JC Latham (Alabama), Chris Braswell (Alabama not Jaguars), Cornelieus Johnson (Michigan) in action behind a New Orleans Saints logo with a 2024 NFL Draft background.

Dylan Bruton ·

The Saints were winless in their first two games this season, a fact that can be largely blamed to their wasteland of a defense that doesn’t seem capable of putting the clamps on anybody. On the season, New Orleans was second-worst in the NFL in scoring defense (32.5 points allowed per game), and worst in both total defense (512.5 yards) and pass defense (388.5) before shutting down the Panthers. Tom Brady thoroughly abused the Saints’ stop unit in Week 2, with the New England Patriots quarterback having his way with 447 passing yards and three touchdowns on a very efficient 33 of 39 passing attempts completions.

With Lattimore and Moore out for Sunday's contest, Saints defensive coordinator Dennis J. Allen banked on the pair of Ken Crawley and De'Vante Harris filling in the holes temporarily left by Lattimore and Moore.