How the Detroit Lions Can Beat the New Orleans Saints

Although the Saints are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and undefeated at home, they are not unbeatable. There is a clear blueprint laid out by the teams that have beaten the Saints of how to do it, and the Lions must not overlook what the Rams, Packers, and Buccaneers have done to beat them. Here are the three main keys, and several other notes that the Lions must take into consideration going into Saturday night's matchup.

1. Get an Early Lead
In their first meeting, the Lions fell behind 17-0 before outscoring the Saints the rest of the game, and 10-7 in the second half. In Week 1, the Packers took a 21-7 lead into the 2nd quarter and never gave up the lead. In Week 6, the Buccaneers were able to build a 20-7 lead before the end of the 2nd quarter and never looked back. In their last loss of the season, the Saints allowed the Rams to jump out to a 24-0 lead, which they were not able to recover from. In all three losses, the Saints fell behind early and were never able to tie or take the lead after that early point in the game.

What this means for the Lions: The Lions must get out to an early lead and keep their foot on the pedal as they did against the San Diego Chargers in Week 16.

2. Force Interceptions
Drew Brees has thrown a total of only 14 interceptions this season, but 5 of those came in the Saints' losses against the Buccaneers and Rams. Saying that the Lions need interceptions against Brees is an understatement and a general one, but how the Lions will get the interceptions is more important. They must not give Brees easy opportunities via an obvious blitz as they did against Matt Flynn. The Lions will need to create pressure using their front four including a healthy Nick Fairly and Ndamukong Suh who was serving the first game of a suspension in their first meeting.

What this means for the Lions: Rely on their fantastic front four to create pressure on Brees without giving up coverage in the secondary by blitzing.

3. Rush the Ball
The Lions are 30th in the NFL in rushing, but all three of the teams who have beaten the Saints have managed over 100 yards rushing in the contest. Earnest Graham of the Buccaneers gained 109 yards on only 17 carries, while Steven Jackson ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

What this means for the Lions: A healthy Kevin Smith will need to receive plenty of carries to keep the ball out of Drew Brees' hands while running the game clock and sustaining drives.

An Extra Note:
Limit Penalties: The Lions killed their chances of a win in New Orleans by committing very stupid penalties. The Lions lead the league in personal fouls, and managed to commit 11 penalties for 107 yards in their first game against the Saints.

The Lions are still a long shot to beat the Saints, but if they are able to grab an early lead, create turnovers, and rush the ball effectively while limiting penalties, they should be able to come out of New Orleans with a victory.