This weekend, the Lions will visit New Orleans to play the Saints. The Lions are coming off a devastating Thanksgiving loss to the Packers, when Jared Goff struggled mightily, misfiring three times once again. Goff will be trying to bounce back from his recent below-average play and secure a much-needed victory this week. The Saints just suffered a terrible loss that resulted in several player injuries. It will be fascinating to see how much the Saints compete against Detroit because they will be hurt coming into this weekend. For the Lions, this might be a real test to see if they can recover and triumph away from home.
The Saints have just lost to the Falcons, where they not only performed poorly on the field but also suffered several player injuries. The Saints could be without their three best receivers due to injuries to Rasheed Shaheed’s quadriceps, Chris Olave’s concussion, and wide receiver Mike Thomas’s knee. Derek Carr appears to be terrible, making poor passes and frequently turning the ball over. Alvin Kamara is still the offense’s bright spot, making a significant contribution to both the run and pass games. This season, the defense has played ok overall. The Saints can pressure most of the quarterbacks they face and force them to throw early because Jordan and Granderson are both excellent at getting to the quarterback. The linebackers for the Saints have also performed admirably in both the run and pass games. Werner is still developing into a very solid linebacker, while Davis has been having another successful season. Although Adebo has been an excellent CB2 when Lattimore is well, their secondary may have some holes because Lattimore is on IR. The Saints may be in for a difficult game given how injured they are, but the Lions are also experiencing a losing run. I believe that New Orleans may have a very difficult time winning this game, particularly if Olave, Thomas, and Shaheed are all out.
The Lions are coming off a lackluster Thanksgiving performance in which they fell short against Green Bay despite being heavily favored to win. Once more, Jared Goff turned the ball over 3 times. Due to subpar play by the offensive line, Goff was pressed on over half of his dropbacks, which left him with little time to pass. The NFL’s top running back duo, Montgomery and Gibbs, proved once again how good they are. With an average of 4.8 yards per carry, they assisted Detroit’s offense in moving down the field. Jameson Williams, who had two catches for 45 yards, has truly been showing himself as a reliable option for quarterbacks. The defense has been very problematic lately. Cam Sutton was burned on a 51-yard throw to Christian Watson on the opening play of the game. Due to what appears to be severe slumps for both Sutton and Jacobs, the secondary hasn’t played well. As he continues to have his greatest season to date, Alex Anzalone is emerging as one of the league’s top linebackers. Since Anzalone is probably absent this week, Jack Campbell, who hasn’t played well so far, may finally develop into his regular role. Hutchinson can still apply pressure to quarterbacks at an elite level, but he hasn’t been able to sack them on a regular basis. Because he doesn’t have much assistance, he is frequently double teamed throughout games. I believe the Lions utilize this as a get-right game overall. They should return to their previous form from the first half of the season and dominate on both sides of the ball.
My Prediction: Lions 34 Saints 16
