METAIRIE, La. -- Fully one third of all of sacks and interceptions the New Orleans Saints defense has produced this season happened in one game -- the last game.Middle linebacker Craig Robertson and defensive end Paul Kruger are among the Saints defenders who said theyd like to think the spike in big plays is something that can carry forward -- not simply the result of favorable matchups on a particular week.This Thursday night, the Saints play the Carolina Panthers and veteran, dynamic quarterback Cam Newton. Last week, it was Denver rookie Trevor Siemian, whose teams struggling running game has only increased pressure on him.Kruger said he sees the Saints defense starting to play well together, starting to understand each other as individuals and as a group.The Saints had six sacks against Denver, bringing their total for all nine games this season to 17. New Orleans two interceptions raised its total in that category to six.Kruger said a variety of factors play into a defenses ability to create pressure on a quarterback, including an opposing offenses scheme, play-calling and how quickly the quarterback is able to consistently make throws.In some of those earlier games, we were rushing the passer well. We just werent able to get there as often, Kruger said. Sometimes the stats dont tell the full story.The Saints are also getting healthier at key positions. Two games ago, top cornerback Delvin Breaux played for the first time since fracturing his fibula in Week 1. Also in Week 9, the Saints first-round draft choice, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, made his NFL debut after recovering from his own fractured fibula during training camp. And against Denver, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe played for only the second time this season.Both Rankins and Ellerbe had sacks, and Ellerbe blitzed frequently. While Breaux did not have an interception -- those were made by cornerback Sterling Moore and safety Kenny Vaccaro -- linebacker Craig Robertson said Breauxs coverage skills can sometimes force quarterbacks to hold the ball longer, leading to sacks or less accurate throws under duress.With the type of talent we added back, it was destined to happen, Robertson said, referring to his units spike in big plays. But at the same time, our coaches put together a great plan. ... We executed that plan as best as we possibly could.Saints coach Sean Payton said his defense played one of its best games this season last Sunday and that having players return from injury certainly helped.Fortunately, weve been able to get some of those guys back in and playing, he said.Panthers tight end Greg Olsen also noted that the Saints defense appears healthier than when New Orleans defeated the Panthers 41-38 in the Superdome in Week 6.Last week against Denver they really played well. Theyre playing fast, Olsen said. Getting those (previously injured) guys back into the mix always helps.The Saints also have tried a variety of defensive formations to keep offenses guessing. Last week, they decided to take advantage of Krugers ability to cover short passes, lining up five defensive linemen in some running situations.Its basically just getting a lot of big guys on the field, Kruger said. Its worked well for us in the short amount of time weve had it here.Whether New Orleans defense is all of a sudden an above-average defense remains to be seen. Currently, the Saints still rank 29th out of 32 teams in yards allowed per game with 400.6. The Saints are dead last in yards passing allowed with 292.7 per game.But their recently demonstrated ability to get more pressure on quarterbacks gives them hope of playing better down the stretch, and they know they dont have to be dominant with prolific quarterback Drew Brees running New Orleans league-leading offense.Weve got to trust who we can be and just know who we want to be, Robertson said.---Game notes Three Saints players did not practice on Tuesday: LT Terron Armstead (knee and quadriceps), CB Delvin Breaux and RB Daniel Lasco (hamstring). ... Five players were listed as limited: RB Travaris Cadet (toe), LB Stephone Anthony (hamstring), DT David Onyemata (knee), LB Dannell Ellerbe (quadriceps), P Thomas Morstead (ankle). ... Special teams regular and reserve LB Mike Mauti, who was placed on the non-football illness list on Monday, said hes been told by doctors he surgery for colitis (an ulcer) and does not expect to return to football until next season.---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. http://www.cheapstlouiscardinalsjerseys.com/ . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Cheap St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Cheap Cardinals Jerseys . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. It has been 15 years since Muffet McGraw and Notre Dame were No. 1 in the poll.The Irish hold the preseason top spot in The Associated Press womens basketball poll Tuesday, receiving 14 first-place votes from a 33-member national media panel. Notre Dame last held the No. 1 ranking on March 5, 2001. McGraw returns most of the core from a team that went 33-2 last season.She was happy for the compliment, but said she found the ranking a little high considering her team was coming off one of its most disappointing seasons in a few years.Id rather we earned it, McGraw said. Were coming off the worst season weve had in six years; it seems odd that were preseason No. 1.McGraw has had very good teams over the last 15 seasons that never reached the top spot. There always seemed to be someone just a little bit better.Other teams have had good teams too. Connecticut has had some pretty good teams in there, McGraw said. There was a year when yeah maybe, Stanford beat Connecticut, but then South Carolina went to No. 1.Baylor was a close second, four points behind the Irish. The Lady Bears garnered 12 first place votes.UConn, which has won 75 consecutive games and four straight national championships, was third. South Carolina and Louisville round out the top five teams.Maryland, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA and Mississippi State are next.Tennessee, which saw its run of 565 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 end last season, is back in at No. 13. The Lady Vols have been in every one of the preseason polls except for the first one. They are one of four teams to not be ranked in the final polll, who are in the Top 25 now.dddddddddddd.National runner-up Syracuse was 14th while Final Four participants Washington and Oregon State were 17th and 25th.The SEC leads the way with six teams in the top 25. The Pac-12 and ACC each have five. UConn and 21st-ranked DePaul are the only two schools from non-Power 5 conferences to be ranked.The first regular-season poll will be Nov. 14 with two big games that night. Baylor hosts UCLA while UConn visits Florida State.Here are a few other poll tidbits:ITS BEEN A WHILE: Missouri is ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1984. The Tigers reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade and return star Sophia Cunningham. Unfortunately they already lost second-leading scorer and top rebounder Jordan Frericks and reserve Bri Porter for the season with knee injuries.MISSING TRIANGLE: Duke is not ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1994-95. The Blue Devils arent the only member of Tobacco Road absent from the poll. North Carolina and NC State both are unranked, marking only the second time in the 41-year history of the poll that none of the three are in the preseason rankings. It also happened in 1986.HIGH HOOSIER HOPES: Indiana is ranked for only the third time in the programs history. The No. 23 Hoosiers matched a school record with 21 victories in 2015-16 and won the teams first NCAA tournament game. Indiana is led by junior Tyra Buss, who averaged 18.8 points last season. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '