What looked like what was going blow-out loss for the Lions against the New Orleans Saints turned into a thriller of a game that ultimately fell short.
The Lions, trailing 45-10 with 5:56 left in the 3rd quarter, scored 28 unanswered points to pull within one touchdown of the Saints. Now trailing 45-38, Matthew Stafford and the Lions looked like they were on their way to another comeback story, but the Saints had other plans.
After Jamal Agnew botched a Saints punt and was taken down at the one-yard-line, Stafford’s twelfth pass deflected turned into a Cameron Jordan pick-six which essentially ended any chance of a comeback victory for the Lions. The Lions would indeed lose the game by a final score of 52-38 and fall to 3-3 heading into their bye week.
Here are three things to take away from this afternoon’s loss to the Saints.
- The offensive line needs improvement – fast.
The Lions’ offensive line has been a huge disappointment this season so far, and it was more of the same today against the Saints. Stafford took a beating as he was sacked a total of five times. Despite losing several linemen to injury, Detroit needs to find a way to stop letting the opposition get to their franchise quarterback.
2. Matthew Stafford is a warrior
Stafford, who was already banged up coming into this afternoon, refused to roll over and give up. He went 25/52 for 312 yards and a 3:3 touchdown to interception ratio. While it’s easy to point to the three interceptions, he didn’t get much help from those around them. Despite the loss, he once again demonstrated that his toughness can’t ever be called into question.
3. Paging Lions defense….paging Lions defense….
We all know the popular saying: defense wins championships. In the past two games, the Lions have allowed 79 total points to the Saints and the Panthers – completely unacceptable for a team with NFC North title aspirations. In the upcoming bye week, they need to double down on their defensive work in practice before they host the Antonio Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.
