Saints wary of Lions’ penchant for performing in the clutch

Well, not until he dropped back and capped a trick play with a 50-yard touchdown pass to running back Tim Hightower.

The Detroit Lions aren’t just coming from behind to win games; they’re making money, going 6-1 against the spread their last seven times out. FOX will have the telecast. The Lions stunned their NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving Day to improve to 7-4. And man, I’d say this: I think he’s got some of the best arm talent in the league – top three for sure. At 5-6, New Orleans trails Washington by a game and a half in the battle for the second NFC wild-card spot.

The Saints undoubtedly will need a team effort on all sides of the ball against this surging Lions team.

Bad memories of Saints quarterback Drew Brees completing 32 of 39 passes against his team on a Super Bowl Sunday back in 2010 have come flooding back to Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell this week.

He said Wednesday that he still has a lot of friends in New Orleans, but this week is all business for him. Stafford has played 104 games up to this point, so that will be our magic number for this comparison.

Don’t be shocked if this game comes down to the wire. He’s not getting almost as much attention as Michael Thomas and Willie Snead, but teams are probably doing that on objective.

New Orleans was lining up for a go-ahead extra point kick in the final minutes against Denver last month, only to see that try blocked and returned for two points the other way for the Broncos’ margin of victory. The same tight games we had last year, they’re having this year and they’ve figured out a way to close it out. The Lions, as two-point favorites, trailed 13-10 in the fourth quarter, then tied the score at 13-13.

Playing in a dome won’t effect the visiting Lions, as they play their home games in a dome at Ford Field.

Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks was targeted exactly zero times in Week 12, and the receiver is reportedly growing frustrated with his role in New Orleans’ offense.

The Lions rank 16th against the run, allowing 102.5 yards per game, so the Saints, who are up to ninth at 114.6 and are averaging 145.2 in the last six outings, will certainly go that route early in the game.

Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo. Taylor will be a popular pick for DFS players not taking Brees or the Lions’ Matt Stafford. Taylor has a fairly high floor, scoring 18 points or better in five of his last six games.

By game’s end, the Saints had limited a second straight foe to fewer than 300 yards – a far cry from their first five games, when four teams gained more than 400 yards.