For the second time this season the Detroit Lions are on the national stage once again as they take on the New Orleans Saints during Sunday Night Football on NBC.
That national spotlight is nothing new for the Lions, this season for that matter as they once again were boiled over in controversy with the suspension of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. That suspension was handed down after he (Suh) stomped on Green Bay guard Evan Dietrich-Smith’s arm during the Thanksgiving Day game from Ford Field.
With Suh out questions remain as to whether or not the defense can hold up against a potent New Orleans offense.
The Lions have their opportunity though Sunday to really make a big stride towards the postseason.
Already on Sunday, the Bears and Falcons both lost and as I speak right now the New York Giants are down to the Green Bay Packers in the later stages of their game. This is significant since all three of these teams are in the playoff hunt with the Lions as the 2011 NFL season starts to wind down.
Lets take a look at some of the keys to the game for the Lions for Sunday night’s game…
New Orleans Player to Watch: Drew Brees, QB
The New Orleans Saints have the number one offense in the NFL based largely on the 450 yards total it gains per game. A huge contributing factor to this is Saints quarterback Drew Brees who has plenty of weapons through the air whether it be Jimmy Graham or Marques Colston or on the ground with Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram.
Keep in mind to the Lions’ secondary is very banged up so look for Brees to air it out often.
Detroit Player to Watch: Nick Fairley, DT
Even though he isn’t expected to start in the place of suspended Ndamukong Suh (Sammie Lee Hill will get the nod), Lions first round draft pick Nick Fairley is expected to get plenty of playing time against the Saints.
When he has been on the field this season for Detroit Fairley has for the most part made the most of his time and will look to get himself even more time on the defensive line with Suh out for the next two weeks.
On a side note, although deep the line will have plenty to make up with Suh gone considering he does draw a lot of double teams from the opposing offensive line.
Take advantage of the blitz happy Saints
The Saints’ defense will not set the world on fire however New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams loves to stack up the line and blitz a ton. Now of course the Lions’ offensive line is going to have to pick up these blitz’s but with the Saints stacking the line, Matthew Stafford should be able to take advantage of an empty defensive backfield.
Look for Stafford to spread the ball around a lot too, especially to guys like Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew and Kevin Smith.
Shut down the Superdome crowd
The Saints are perfect at home this season and a big reason for that are the Saints fans in the Superdome. Detroit has a lot of experience playing in a loud dome however they’re obviously going to need to take the crowd out of it if they want to limit their penalties at the line.
Prediction
The Lions offense should stay with the Saints early however Detroit just has too much to overcome Sunday night with an injured secondary, banged up running game and their dominant defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on the shelf for the next two weeks.
It will be the Drew Brees show tonight in New Orleans.
Saints win 41-31
Ref: Mlive.com, Getty (image)