Saints vs. 49ers: Why New Orleans Desperately Needs to Improve Defense

In a game where the New Orleans Saints put up 32 points against an excellent defense, there's just one place to point the blame.

At the defense.

San Francisco's offense hasn't been awful by any means, but the 49ers should not be able to score 36 points. The 49ers averaged only 23.8 points per game during the regular season, and a playoff defense should be able to hold them to that or less.

This wasn't New Orleans' first bad defensive performance either. The Saints were 24th in yards allowed per game and 20th in points. 

Is this awful? No. Is it good enough to win a Super Bowl? Probably not.

At this point, the season that doesn't end with a Super Bowl win is a failed season for the Saints. They've consistently made the playoffs and won the Super Bowl in 2010. 

Drew Brees will have the offense playing at a Super Bowl level. In 2011, the Saints gained the most yards in the NFL and the second-most points. The offense isn't the issue.

With this type of offensive production, New Orleans obviously knows what to focus on in the offseason. Unfortunately for the Saints, they don't have too much ammunition to upgrade.

Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem and Carl Nicks are all free agents. It doesn't seem likely that New Orleans will be adding many players in free agency.

Well, if they don't make moves in free agency, they will in the draft, right? Well, after trading up for Mark Ingram last year, the Saints don't have a first-round pick in 2012. If general manager Mickey Loomis wants to add defensive help, he'll have to do so in the second-round and later.

The good news for New Orleans is they know where to focus, and they're a great team even without upgrades. The bad news is that they're going to have a hard time figuring out how to add more talent.