Saints Offense Silenced Against Detroit In 28-13 Loss

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The Lions (8-4), who’ve won seven of eight, dominated statistically. Following the win, the Lions official Twitter account took aim at the ESPN NFL experts.

I only ask because the way the Saints, and their head coach, were acting, one would think all those things would have been on the horizon.

The Saints moved out to their own 38-yard line after picking up a first down, but the Lions defense held strong, forcing two incompletions and stopping Josh Hill for a 3-yard gain on 3rd and 10 to get the ball back to Stafford. After two short completions, Brees picked up the first down to the Lions’ 44-yard line to keep the Saints alive. “You expect it to happen”. In two of them, Tate had back-to-back 150-yard games to lead the Lions to close wins over the Saints and Falcons. He has six on the season, which also leads the league. “It’s garbage”, Payton said. “It tests your grip a little bit”.

It wasn’t that the Saints lost, it was how they lost. The Chiefs are second to the Raiders in the NFC West, but if they can take first they’ll be in position for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Brees told me that even those numbers are deceiving. Later, Stafford showed his increasing willingness to run with the ball, weaving through the New Orleans defense to the Saints 7. They’re in the Superdome.

That was one of many missed opportunities for the Saints.

The better team played better.

“I feel like I let him (Brees) down, and I’m sure other guys do as well”, Fleener said. “He’s got some moxie, got some savvy”.

If I were to single out every player on the defense that played their best game of the year, I would never get out of this section.

NEW ORLEANS is 8-0 ATS versus good offensive teams – averaging =5.65 yards/play over the last 2 seasons.

Tate made the catch in space and did what he does best, evading the New Orleans defense on his way to a 60-yard game-clinching touchdown. With just four weeks left in this season, we should know what these teams are, and at face value these teams could go a ways in the postseason. Several big plays, including a 66-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate in the fourth quarter, put the Lions up 25-13. Defensively, the Saints are yielding 27.9 points and 370.5 yards (271.4 in passing and 99.1 in rushing) per game. Stafford had longer odds to success than any of them and still might get his team into the playoffs.

ANGRY MARK: Two games ago, Mark Ingram’s night was cut short when he was briefly knocked unconscious and placed in the National Football League concussion protocol. The Saints ran just 57 plays.

Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports Mark Ingram isn’t certain for Sunday with a lingering toe issue.

And whatever Payton and Brees have to say about “game planning”, a big part in the offense being completely out of sync was Brees forcing the ball to Brandin Cooks. He has two sacks in his last three games and a forced fumble. Their two road games are at Green Bay on December 11 and at San Francisco on January 1.