Jaguars beat Saints on Thursday Night, get 5th win of the 2023 season: 3 takeaways

2. The Jaguars defense didn't create as many turnovers, kept the Saints in check

The Jacksonville defense got the spotlight heading into the game for their ability to create takeaways. After Week 6, they led the league with 15, and three Jaguars had three interceptions (Darious Williams, Andre Cisco, and Rayshawn Jenkins). The group wasn't able to force as many turnovers on Thursday as they did in previous weeks but linebacker Foyesade Oluokun came up with a huge pick-six that gave the Jags a 24-9 lead at one point. On top of that, they managed to keep the Saints' offense away from the end zone until the fourth quarter.

The Jags make Saints quarterback Derek Carr uncomfortable. The pass rush didn't get to Carr often (one sack) but they did force him to get rid of the ball faster than he would've probably liked. It didn't help that the Saints were without starting linemen James Hurst and Ryan Ramczyk but there's a good chance Carr would've still struggled.

In the same manner, they did a good job of slowing down Alvin Kamara and the running game. Jamaal Williams returned after missing a few games with a hamstring injury but he too was a non-factor. The duo had a combined 80 yards between the two.

One thing to keep an eye on following the game is Andre Cisco's health. The third-year safety went down with an injury in the third quarter. He left the field on his own, which is encouraging, but hopefully won't be anything serious. Working in his favor is that the Jags are going to have a long weekend, so he'll have ample time to rest if it's not a big deal.

In the end, the Jaguars defense had another good performance and once again assisted the offense with an interception return to the touchdowns. While it's good to see Mike Caldwell's unit step up it's fair to wonder if that kind of defensive success is sustainable.