NFL Game Of The Week Wildcard Round: Lions at Saints

Detroit Lions(10-6) at New Orleans Saints(13-3) (Sun. Dec. 7th, 2012 @ 8:00pm(EST.)

Stars Watch:
(New Orleans): QB Drew Brees - He broke Dan Marino's single season passing mark of 5,084 yards in the next to last regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons then extended it to 5,476 yards in the last regular season game against the Carolina Panthers. He set a bunch of other passing records such as 468 completions, he had 7 straight 300 yard passing games and 13 total, set a team record with a 110.6 QBR, team record of 46 passing tds, and completed 71% of his passes. Drew will be facing a Lions secondary that has some injuries and will be hard pressed to keep up with his receivers.

(Detroit): QB Matthew Stafford - Stafford's first two seasons in the NFL were unproductive because of a lot of games missed because of shoulder injuries. In 2011, he has shaken the injury bug so far and had put up his best numbers of his short career. He is now one of only four QBs who have passed for over 5,000 yards in a season joining Dan Marino, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees. Matt has thrown for 5,038 yards, 41 tds, 16 ints, and has completed 63.5% percent of his passes. Stafford has shown that he can carry his team on his back when called upon. His continued improvement will only help Detroit in the future to be one of the top teams in the NFL as long as he is the starter. He will be facing a Saints defense that is not shy at sending pressure after the QB. Stafford should look for WR Calvin Johnson often in this game.

New Orleans Offense vs. Detroit Defense: New Orleans offense is the ultimate dream team if playing with them on Xbox360, Playstation3, or in reality. They have all of the ingredients you would want on an offense. The Saints offense is led by trigger man QB Drew Brees. He has been one of the most accurate QB's the last few years. New Orleans is capable of scoring not only in the passing game but now in the running game. They use the 3 headed monster attack of running backs Pierre Thomas(562 yards), Darren Sproles(603 yards), and rookie Mark Ingram(474 yards). Sproles is also valuable in the passing game with (710 yards and 7tds) and returns (over 1,000 yards and 1td). WR Marques Colston at 6'4" is the big talented target playing the number one spot and is a weapon in the red zone because of the mismatches he creates with his size advantage. TE Jimmy Graham in only his second season is having a pro bowl year and may be the biggest reason this offense is difficult to defend. He is 6'6" and like Colston creates mismatches with his size and speed at the position and has 1,310 yards receiving with 11 tds. Final ingredient is they also can throw speed at you with WR's Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, and Lance Moore. The offensive line is equally good in pass protection as they are in run blocking. The Saints 2 starting guards Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans were voted to the All-Pro 1st team. Detroit's DT Ndamukong Suh missed the previous game because of a two game suspension. His absence was huge because of the double teams he commands in the interior of the defense that allows the other defensive lineman to get one on one matchups. The Lions defense is much better with him in the lineup and want have to blitz as much and can focus more attention to the many Saints receivers. Safety Louis Delmas is back from injury and will help in coverage. The Lions will have their hands full defensively in this game.

New Orleans Defense vs. Detroit Offense: Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams is similar to head coach Sean Payton in style of play which is very aggressive. He likes to pressure the other teams QB to get rid of the ball before he wants and mess up the timing of the routes. Williams benefits from a high scoring Saints offense that allows him to blitz often and take risks with coverage. DE Will Smith is the best outside rusher with 6.5 sacks. The telling sign that the Saints defensive line has struggled getting pressure is strong safety Roman Harper leads the Saints with 7.5 sacks, showing that Williams will blitz any and everyone to get the opposing QB on the ground. The Saints should be better against the run ranking only 12th especially inside with the rotation of DT's Sedrick Ellis, Shaun Rogers, and Aubrayo Franklin. They have a good young nucleus of corner backs with Tracy Porter, Patrick Robinson, and Jabari Greer. Safety Malcom Jenkins should be a bright star for years to come. Detroit will only go as far as franchise QB Matthew Stafford will take them. He is having his best season, mainly due to avoiding the injury bug that cut his first two seasons short. He still needs to learn to avoid the silly turnovers. WR Calvin Johnson and his physical presence is what makes this offense go. He can score from anywhere on the field and creates mismatches with his size and jumping ability. Once the Lions find balance with their running game they will become one of the elite offenses in the NFL. TE Brandon Pettigrew needs to become even more involved in the offense in the future. He has the ability to attack the seams in the middle of the defense.

Key Stats:
New Orleans (NFL Rank & Yards) Detroit (NFL Rank & Yards)

Rush Off. 6th - 132.9ypg 29th - 95.2ypg
Pass Off. 1st - 334.2ypg 4th - 300.9ypg
Rush Def. 12th - 108.6ypg 23rd - 128.1ypg
Pass Def. 30th - 253.7ypg 22nd - 239.4ypg

Total Offense: 1st 5th

Total Defense: 24th 23rd

Points Per Game: 34.2ppg (2nd) 29.6ppg (4th)

Key Matchups:
Lions Defensive Coordinator (versus) Saints Head Coach/Playcaller Sean Payton: Gunther Cunningham is an intense defensive coordinator and Detroit's defense is in the process of taking on his personality. The player who best fits Cunningham's persona and the aggressive scheme he wants to implement is former first round selection DT Ndamukong Suh. He definitely plays intense and with a chip on his shoulder. Cunningham will have to come up with a scheme to get pressure on Drew Brees without sacrificing coverage on the back end. Once Cunningham and the Lions get a few more talented pieces in the secondary and get Suh to tone down his emotions they will have a very good defense. Saints head coach Sean Payton is innovative and aggressive with his offensive play calling. They will come out an attack your defense's weaknesses from the jump. He is the example of what the NFL has become with the pass first mentality. The most successful offenses in the league lately are the ones where the head coach is heavily involved in the offense and play calling. These types of offenses use my motto of, "I am not waiting on you to beat me." That means they are not playing conservative where one turnover, a dropped pass, or not converting a 3rd down may cause them the game. Bottom line is can you out score us within 60 minutes.

WR Calvin Johnson (versus) New Orleans secondary: The man known as Megatron is a beast and may be the best wide receiver in the league. He has recorded for the third time in his career over 1,000 yards receiving and double digit touchdowns. He is 6'5" and 230lbs. and will be facing a New Orleans secondary that averages about 5'11" and 185lbs. Good Luck! Cornerbacks Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, and Patrick Robinson will have to grow some before the game. Safety Malcolm Jenkins has the size and plays with the physicality to matchup with Johnson on the deep ball. Where ever Johnson lines up it may be wise to have Jenkins in the vicinity at all times.

Final Word: The Saints were eliminated from the playoffs last year by the Seattle Seahawks in a stunner. Drew Brees and company have set their sights on redeeming themselves since week 1 of the regular season. The Saints are averaging over 40 points per game at home and have an 8-0 record. New Orleans head coach, Sean Payton, is the new era type of coach. That is when the head coach is offensive minded and heavily involved in his team's offensive play calling. Detroit has all of the pieces on offense to attack any defense in the league. They are led by QB Matthew Stafford who has all of the ingredients to be successful at the pro level for years to come. The guy who will hopefully be at the end of a lot of his passes is super stud WR Calvin Johnson. This duo is still learning how to dominate defenses with their immense talents, once they get to that point, barring an injury they will be hard to stop. Detroit will need to score a lot of points on offense and not commit turnovers. They will try defensively to force New Orleans to cough the ball up. The two team's secondaries should drink a lot of Gatorade and stay hydrated because they will be running all over the field to keep up with each team's receivers. The team that can produce the best pass rush and force the QB into hurried mistakes may have the upper hand.