After destroying the spiraling New York Giants last Monday night, the New Orleans Saints face another team this Sunday in the Detroit Lions that is fighting to stay in the playoff hunt. Much of the pre-game chatter this week has been focused on the lack of availability of star Lions DT Ndamukong Suh. Suh was suspended by the NFL for 2 games following an ugly incident against the Packers on Thanksgiving, where he stomped on a Green Bay offensive lineman after the whistle. Suh’s absence will loom large in a game that has plenty of playoff implications for both teams, and certainly make the job for Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints offense much easier.
Pass Offense
The Saints have been unbelievably successful passing the ball this season. Averaging 324.2 yards per game, Brees and company are on a record setting pace, and are truly starting to click on all cylinders. Jimmy Graham’s triumphs this season have been well documented, but the entire receiving corps is doing an outstanding job. The emergence of Darren Sproles and the always sure handed Pierre Thomas provide a screen/swing pass threat out of the backfield. Moreover, the offensive line is playing better in pass protection. With every element of the offense clicking, I’m not sure if there is a more rounded group in the NFL.
The Lions have had one of the top pass defenses in the NFL up to this point, only giving up 202.2 yards per game, ranking 6th overall. Despite lacking a ton of playmakers in their secondary, the Lions possess one of the deepest defensive lines in the league. Even without their star, the defensive line is very talented and can get after the passer without help from the linebackers.
Suh, however, is the catalyst for the entire defense, and he gives the entire unit a gritty, tough identity that had been missing before his arrival. Besides being perhaps the best pass rushing defensive tackle in the game today, Suh has a knack for making big plays, getting sacks at big moments, creating game-changing turnovers. He makes the entire defensive front better as a whole.
Without Suh, paired with an improving Saints offensive line (the Giants did not register a sack Monday night), the Lions have a tall task ahead of them. Schwartz realizes this, and will try to throw everything at the Saints in order to rattle Brees. Expect quick passes in the form of screens, underneath patterns, and slants as a way to stifle oncoming blitzes and pressures from an aggressive Detroit defense.
Run Offense
In their game against the Giants, the Saints had one of their best games running the ball this season. Rookie Mark Ingram led the charge, amassing 80 yards on 13 carries, but the entire unit make contributions all night. For the year, the Saints are averaging 125.5 yards per game, good enough for 8th league-wide. With the entire backfield healthy, Sean Payton has the ability to not only have exactly the right personnel on the field for a particular running play, but he can also keep all of his backs fresh and ready for games down the road. The running game is now operating at a level most Saints fans had hoped since the beginning of the year, and the unit needs to continue its success as the schedule rolls on.
If there is a weakness with the Detroit defense, it is in stopping the run. The Lions surprisingly give up 127.3 yards per game on the ground. In past weeks, opposing backs like Frank Gore (141 yards) and Michael Turner (122 yards) have had their way with Detroit. In the 49ers game, the Lions gave up two huge runs to Frank Gore, one of which went for a touchdown, that swayed the swayed the momentum of the contest and kept San Francisco alive. Against Atlanta, Turner, coming off of a draw, was able to peel off a 50 yard scamper in the 3rd quarter.
It seems that the big running play is somewhat of an Achilles’ heel for the Lions defense. Getting the run established for the Saints will be extremely important in this one. Mark Ingram is starting to show everyone why he was worthy of a first round pick last season, and I expect for Payton to try to get him going early. Furthermore, utilizing Darren Sproles more as a runner will pay dividends later on in the game. The speedy Sproles, who is known to occasionally bust out huge runs, provides a huge mismatch for a tired Lions defense later on in the second half.
Matchup to Watch
Saints TE Jimmy Graham vs. Lions linebackers/secondary. Who do you use to cover Jimmy Graham? That is the $64,000 question in the NFC, if not the NFL. The Brees to Graham connection has been lethal this season, and look for it to continue against Detroit. If the Lions defensive line can’t get enough pressure on Brees by themselves, Schwartz will have to make a tough decision: hope that the line can get the job done, or send pressure from either the secondary or the linebackers. The latter decision will allow for Graham to travel uncontested. If that is the case, Graham could have a huge game, and the Saints will benefit greatly from it.
