Opponent Profile: Lions Defense Preps For Saints Offense
By Chris Morgan
Heading into the season, the Detroit Lions' matchup with the New Orleans Saints was probably expected to be a shootout. The presumption was that the ball would fly through the air, the points would be racked up, and whichever team managed a stop or two would win. Also, that winner would likely be the Saints. Now, six weeks into the season, the perception has changed.
For starters, the Lions are thought of much more highly on defense than when the season began. Detroit has perhaps the toughest, most impressive defense in the league. It is that defense that has led them to their 4-2 record, as their offense, and kicking game, has struggled. On the other hand, the Saints have struggled. They have two wins in three games, they were on their bye last week, and those wins were against the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Detroit just beat the Vikings on the road soundly, and the Bucs are terrible. There are questions about this Saints team.
Their offense has not been the juggernaut many expected. Drew Brees has been very good, but not great. Jimmy Graham has been quite good, as per usual, but he's also hurt. He may miss this game, which is akin to the Lions not having Calvin Johnson, which may also be the case for this game. The offensive line has had some issues. In particular, the team has struggled on the road, and this game is at Ford Field.
As such, the Lions' strength is meeting the Saints' strength, or New Orleans doesn't look as strong on offense as anticipated. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Saints have been a disaster. They have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The only team that has scored less than 26 points against them is the Vikings. They have had problems in all aspect of the game, but particularly against the pass. Their secondary just doesn't have any depth, and they have lost safety Jarius Byrd to injury.
This bodes well for Matthew Stafford and company. Yes, Megatron may not play again, but Golden Tate will, and Reggie Bush should be back to catch passes out of the backfield. Stafford has been up-and-down this year, but he should be able to have a good game this week. If he doesn't, then the concern should really start to set in. There are also concerns about the Lions' offensive line, but there is no reason to fear New Orleans' defensive line.
Of course, there is also the question of the Lions' kicking game. Matt Prater is yet another kicker who has had issues with misses for the Lions, but that may be the only concern for this team. Detroit has shut down pretty much every offense they have faced this year, including the Green Bay Packers. Can they do it to the Saints? More importantly, can the Detroit offense be yet another team to put points up on New Orleans? If both of these things happen, the Lions should score a win that many did not expect they would get before the season.
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Chris Morgan has been a diehard Detroit Lions fan through the good (Barry Sanders) and the bad (Matt Millen) and that love has led him to take jobs writing about sports, including as a fantasy sports "expert." His work can be found on Examiner.com. .