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Saints have already broken a decade-long record halfway through season
© Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints have a clear strength that few others teams can brag about this season. They have an elite secondary that's breaking up passes and forcing turnovers at an impressive rate.

The Saints defense leads the NFL with 62 pass defenses this season. They're the first team to have 60+ in the first nine weeks of the season since Kansas City (64) and Denver (63) in 2013, according to Saints PR.

New Orleans has flipped last year's struggles with takeaways on their heads. This year, they have forced 18 turnovers - tied for the NFL lead with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have the sole lead in interceptions with 12.

For the Saints, the history is impressive, but their pass defense is clearly better than the 2013 Broncos. Denver gave up the 6th-most passing yards that season. The Saints are on a better pace than that.

The 2013 Chiefs totaled 21 interceptions, and that could be on the table for the Saints. It'd be really impressive.

Regardless, it's been a major improvement from last year for the Saints. Plus, luck on defense has swung back in their direction.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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