For almost the whole season, the offensive performance of the New Orleans Saints has been subpar. They have lost all 11 games due to red zone mishaps, dull game plans, poor play calling, and subpar execution. Only two field goals were scored by the Saints in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week despite six trips inside the opponent’s 25-yard line. After losing, New Orleans is now 5-6 and second in the NFC South. This Sunday, they will host the Detroit Lions, who are 8-3.
With an average of 347 yards per game going into Week 13, New Orleans is ranked 12th in terms of total offense. Although those seem like respectable stats, they rank just 18th in points scored per game (20.8), 21st in third down conversions, and a pitiful 29th in red zone efficiency. The fact that the Saints will be missing Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and injured wide receiver Michael Thomas for this game only makes things worse.
Traveling to New Orleans is an underrated Detroit defense that ranks 24th in points allowed (23.5/game), but 10th in total yardage with 319 yards/outing. The Lions don’t force a lot of turnovers–just 12 on the year–and rank a lowly 30th in red zone percentage. However, they are a fast, physical, and aggressive unit requiring a clean and crisp game to beat them.
With a banged-up receiving corps and inefficient play from QB Derek Carr, it’s critical that the Saints are able to run the ball and establish balance. They haven’t been able to do that much of the year, and now face a Lions defense that’s been strong in that area most of the season.
The Lions allow just 91.3 yards per game, which quietly puts them in fifth place against the run. Because they are playing catch-up in the latter stages of games, few opponents try to run the ball against them. In the league, the Lions’ average number of rushing attempts is the fifth lowest. To be fair, the rush average of 3.9 is seventh best in the NFL against the Lions. Just Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been given up 100 yards of rushes by Detroit. Against the Lions, just three backs have accumulated more than 60 yards, and none of them have gone over 70 yards.
