Lessons learned: The Saints defense is bending but not breaking. And that’s a huge step.

Brandon Staley loves the “silent tape.”

The silent tape, or the All-22 copy of each game, tells the truth. It provides the entire picture, angles of what can’t be captured on the broadcast. And there’s no commentary to influence the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator, not that he’d be tempted in the first place. Any answers that Staley could ever need are right there, ready to be watched.

And lately, for those bothering to watch, the silent tape is sending a clear message: The Saints’ defense has vastly improved.

The unit is still far from perfect, but they are approaching top 10 territory in a number of categories — and for some, they’re already there outright.

After holding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 3 of 13 on third down in Sunday’s upset win, for example, the Saints rank si