METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints rookie class had its best game in Week 4. So did the Saints' defense.
That's no coincidence, since they're virtually one and the same.
The Saints have eight rookies on defense, including three starters. Those rookies have combined to play nearly one-third of the New Orleans' defensive snaps (31 percent, to be exact, according to ESPN Stats and Information).
They have played a total of 804 snaps, which is by far the most of any team in the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts are second at 441. Last year, the Saints had a total of just 756 defensive snaps by rookies all season.
"It's amazing," said Saints middle linebacker and first-round draft choice Stephone Anthony. "We have a good core of young guys. It's just the beginning. It's early for all of us. We're still trying to figure this thing out. Hopefully, in the time to come, we'll figure it out and we can be something special."
Naturally, all of these rookie snaps have led to some growing pains for a Saints team that is 1-3, ranks 24th in the NFL in yards allowed (381.5 per game) and is tied for 23rd in points allowed (26.0 per game).
But those growing pains have produced growth. The Saints' three sacks in Sunday night's 26-20 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys all came via rookies (linebackers Anthony and Hau'oli Kikaha and defensive lineman Tyeler Davison).
"I thought a number of young guys really stepped up [Sunday] night," said coach Sean Payton, who said it has been "a progression" with the younger guys, who have been "learning through reps."
Payton didn't allow them to be overhyped, though, when someone asked if this year has been satisfying compared to recent drafts that turned out to be much less successful.
"We're in Year 1, so we're not ready to send these guys to Canton just yet," Payton said. "It is good to see that they're playing, they're improving. I thought they were active last night, a number of them. Bobby Richardson, Damian Swann and a number of young guys are all receiving a ton of playing time and are helping us."
Five of the Saints' seven sacks overall this year have come from rookies, since Kikaha has three of them.
Kikaha, a second-round pick, has arguably been the best rookie so far as an active, relentless pass-rusher who has also forced two fumbles.
Anthony has taken over the important roles of middle linebacker and signal-caller for the Saints' defense. He has shown inconsistency but seems to make at least one flash play every week and had several of them against Dallas in his best performance yet.
Anthony and Kikaha rank first and second in tackles this year on the Saints this year with 34 and 28, respectively.
"I think I'm really settling in and starting to understand what's going on around me," said Anthony, who mostly shrugged off questions about his individual performance and said he loved the way the entire team responded to adversity after an 0-3 start and two big runs allowed to start the Week 4 game.
Swann (a fifth-round pick) has also played very well as a nickel and dime cornerback this year. Pro Football Focus gave him his first negative grade of the season against Dallas but said he has the best run-stop percentage of any cornerback in the NFL this year.
Richardson, an undrafted defensive end, replaced veteran Akiem Hicks in the starting rotation midway through Week 2 and has held up well. He was credited with two tackles-for-loss against the Cowboys and ranks fifth on the Saints in tackles this year with 21, according to the team's statistics.
Fifth-round pick Davison has also shown flashes as a rotational player. Undrafted linemen Tavaris Barnes, Kaleb Eulls and Obum Gwacham have played sparingly.
Saints veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan expressed some surprise last week – and perhaps some concern, as well – after the Saints traded Hicks, which left them with three vets and five rookies on the defensive line.
"Honestly the organization must feel pretty strongly about ‘em. And I can only hope that we're turning in the right direction for this team. I mean, we're 0-3 right now so it can't be too right," Jordan had said. "And at this point, we've got to find a way to make an immediate impact."
This past Sunday was a good start.