The Detroit Lions wanted to play their best football in December going into their Week 13 road game.
The game against the New Orleans Saints was especially significant since it was against a club that the coaching staff had personal links to.
Fans descended to the Superdome once again in the hopes of seeing one of the top road teams try to win nine games this season.
Despite the Lions being flagged for a false-start penalty on the first offensive play and an unpolished interchange between Jared Goff and Frank Ragnow, Dan Campbell’s squad got off to a strong start, leading by three touchdowns at the beginning of the game.
Despite having a fast start, the Saints battled throughout the whole four quarters. In an intensely fought away game, Detroit’s defense found it difficult to contain the impact of Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, and Taysom Hill.
These are some lessons learned from the Lions’ 33-28 triumph against the Saints.
An ideal beginning
Before the first quarter was halfway over, Campbell’s football team had a 21-0 advantage.
In a contest that will undoubtedly appease detractors for the time being, Detroit, which has relied heavily on its rookies throughout the season, once again looked to a number of first-year players to make noteworthy contributions.
Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs all made significant plays before fans could settle into their seats.
In his Lions debut, veteran Bruce Irvin made an impact by earning a sack in the first quarter, even though the club was having trouble securing sacks.
Lions capitalize on the obvious vulnerability of the Saints early on.
Throughout the previous several weeks, the Saints have had difficulty stopping the run.
As a football club, Detroit aims to establish the run and wants to capitalize on having one of the best offensive lines in the NFL every week.
Following the first play, Jared Goff drove his team down the field with a dynamic tandem of running backs who are starting to show signs of reliability.
Gibbs ran 36 yards on a run that led to Detroit’s first score of the game.
David Montgomery’s 2-yard scamper completed Detroit’s seven-play, 80-yard drive. Jonah Jackson assisted the tight ends in run blocking during the play by pulling to the right side.
Defense troops make an early mistake; the fourth-quarter critical
Detroit has been clearly losing the last two weeks in terms of turnover margin.
In fact, turnovers were the one factor that hurt Detroit’s squad the most over the last two weeks, according to head coach Campbell, who is in his third season.
Brian Branch intercepted a ball intended for tight end Juwan Johnson by Derek Carr on the Saints’ first drive.
LaPorta, who has practically every week established rookie tight end records, scored his sixth touchdown of the year to increase Detroit’s advantage to 14-0.
The next play, Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 25-yard touchdown pass. It moved St. Brown’s total receiving yards beyond 1,000 for the second consecutive year.
It also scored 21 points in the first quarter for Detroit, which hadn’t happened since the 2011 season.
Tracy Walker recovered a fumble early in the fourth quarter with the Lions up by six points, giving Detroit excellent field position. It was the defensive unit’s second game-changing realization.
During the following play, Jameson Williams intercepted a reverse pass from Kalif Raymond and sent the team into the end zone. Detroit’s advantage now stands at 12, 33-21.
After Frank Ragnow left hurt, the tide turned.
Against Detroit’s defense, New Orleans, which has had trouble scoring points in the red zone this season, made the most of its chances.
The Saints gradually gained momentum as Detroit’s offense faltered when center Frank Ragnow departed the game in the second quarter.
Not finding a wide open Williams, Goff headed to the bench upset. Instead of recording what would have been a huge gain, Detroit was forced to punt.
Detroit led 24–7 at the half, but on the Saints’ first offensive play of the second half, they stormed down the field. Additionally, on their second entry into the red zone, they scored a touchdown.
A 10-play, 75-yard drive was completed by a running score by Alvin Kamara. Detroit’s advantage was reduced to 10-24-14. With a 33-yard ball to Olave, who beat CB Jerry Jacobs en way, Carr put his team into the red zone.
The Saints were able to outscore Campbell’s team 21-3 at the midway point of the third quarter, after Detroit’s early 21-0 advantage. Carr led the Saints on a 62-yard touchdown drive, and the club reached the end zone once again. A 1-yard sprint by Hill completed the drive. The Saints’ scoring spurt trimmed Detroit’s advantage to 24-21 and got the squad within three points of the Lions.
In the fourth quarter, Irvin, who was playing in his first game since January, took Carr out of the contest.
The Saints were down 33-28, but Jameis Winston was able to lead them on a scoring drive and had a chance for the game-winning touchdown.
With less than 4:00 left, Detroit’s defense forced the Saints to make a turnover on downs by holding New Orleans down when it mattered most.
LaPorta takes the initiative
Detroit was up 27–21 at the halfway mark of the game.
The second-round draft choice has seven catches for 124 yards and a score through three quarters.
Give the Detroit coaching staff credit for realizing how difficult it has been for the Saints’ defense to handle tight ends this year.
LaPorta exploited gaps in the Saints’ defense all day to prolong drives and score substantial gains.
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