Welcome everyone to the latest game preview for the New Orleans Saints! This week, we break down the Saints home matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Last Week: The Saints had last week off after coming away with a win over the Miami Dolphins in London. The Detroit Lions came up short last week against the Carolina Panthers despite putting up 14 unanswered points in the final 5:48.
Last Meeting: The last time these two faced off, the Lions looked dominant with a 28-13 victory. The Lions have won the last three matchups, but the overall series is tied up at 12-12-1.
Storylines to Watch:
Life Without Peterson: The running back position for the Saints is now a little less cluttered with Adrian Peterson being traded over to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional sixth round pick in next year’s draft. This may be the best thing for the New Orleans Saints as they have a young running back in Alvin Kamara having a solid rookie season alongside Mark Ingram who has proven that he still has a lot to offer to the organization.
No longer having Peterson means a lot for the Saints run game as you have two different types of running backs: Ingram is the up the gut back while Kamara seems to be a younger Darren Sproles that can not only get it done on the ground, but can be a threat through the air. Keep an eye on how the two backs are used on Sunday and that long dormant aspect of the Saints offense may wake up.
Wounded Lions: This could be an easier game for the Saints than it has been the last few years with a couple of crucial injuries. You’ve got veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata out for the year after being put on the injured reserve due to a biceps injury and Matthew Stafford has been banged up, but has practiced in full this week. The Lions offensive line underperformed last weekend against Carolina as they allowed Stafford to get sacked six times. If you’re an offensive lineman, that’s not what you want to give up.
If Stafford isn’t 100 percent, that could be like blood in the water for a Saints front seven that has started to get more pressure on the quarterback.
Can Defense Continue to Improve? Sticking with the defense, the Saints need to show that the defense has improved in this game. While the Lions offense is currently residing in the cellar, we’ve seen too many times that these kind of teams wind up looking great against this defense.
What we’ve seen in the last two games was a lot like what we saw during the preseason and if we see more of the same on Sunday, this could be one of the better defenses the Saints have had in some time.
Saints Will Win If:
The Saints can come away with a win and get above .500 if they can control the balance of Ingram and Kamara on the run game. Both of these players will be crucial for this offense and if we can see both have decent games (both don’t need to go 100 yards, but it wouldn’t hurt) the run game for New Orleans is officially back.
Lions Will Win If:
The Lions can get their fourth straight victory over the Saints if Stafford can stay vertical and play through the pain. Even without Calvin Johnson, the Lions offense still has some solid weapons for him to throw to and if the offensive line can hold off the pass rush, this could be a crucial win for Detroit.
-Clint Domingue