3 Things to Watch from Lions against Saints
The Lions have hardly played a winning brand of football in recent weeks, and it cost them dearly on Thanksgiving against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
Detroit suffered its first NFC North divisional loss of the season in the holiday affair, and now will look to get back on track Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Here are three things to watch for from the Lions in the Week 13 contest.
Does Jared Goff clean things up?
If you're a Lions fan, by now, you've heard all about Goff's recent turnover woes.
He's turned over the football a total of six times the last two weeks. He threw three interceptions in Week 11 vs. Chicago, and then lost three fumbles on Thanksgiving against Green Bay.
He made up for the interceptions against the Bears by leading the Lions to a comeback victory. However, he failed to make up for his reckless play against the Packers, ultimately costing Detroit dearly in the divisional matchup.
In fairness to Goff, over the past two weeks, the protection he's received from his offensive line hasn't been as strong, and it's caused the veteran passer to be under constant duress. And, when Goff faces a significant amount of pressure, it's been proven time and time again that he's not as effective of a quarterback.
The Saints, which have allowed just 20.2 points per game this season (ninth-fewest in the league), have forced 14 interceptions up to this point. That mark ranks as the second-highest number of forced interceptions through the first 12 weeks of the campaign.
That's a scary stat for Goff, who needs to bounce back in a big way Sunday in New Orleans. However, it's also true that the Saints have produced a measly 18 sacks, the second-lowest number of sacks this season. So, Detroit should be better able to protect and keep Goff upright this weekend, and it should lead to a much cleaner and efficient performance from the eighth-year signal-caller.
Does the Lions’ pass-rush get home against Derek Carr?
Detroit's pass-rushing unit has struggled all season long. It recorded zero sacks a week ago against the Packers, and allowed Jordan Love to have all the time in the pocket that he desired. Additionally, over the past three weeks, the Lions have produced just two total sacks (all of which came in Week 11 against Justin Fields and the Bears).
Meanwhile, the Saints have allowed just 25 sacks thus far, tied for the eighth-fewest sacks through the first 12 weeks of the season. Derek Carr has been sacked each of the last two games, though (a total of three times, in fact). Additionally, in that same time span, New Orleans backup quarterback Jameis Winston was also sacked once, while playing in relief of Carr in Week 10.
Detroit, which has amassed just 23 sacks this season (tied for the fifth-fewest in the league), needs to improve its pass-rushing efforts in a hurry. If it doesn't, there's a strong likelihood that Aaron Glenn's unit will continue to struggle over the final six weeks of the season.
Do the Lions force a turnover?
Just like in the pass-rush/sack department, Glenn's defense has struggled mightily in the turnover department.
Through 11 games, the Lions have produced just 12 takeaways, tied for the sixth-lowest amount of turnovers in the NFL.
If you have a hard time forcing turnovers and generating a pass-rush, you're going to have a hard time winning games consistently in the league.
In stark contrast, the Saints have accumulated 20 takeaways in 11 games, good for third best to start the season.
Thus, on paper, it's very easy to predict that New Orleans will win the turnover battle between the two squads on Sunday. However, it'd be nice to see Detroit flip the script, and cause a turnover or two while going turnover-free itself against Dennis Allen's team.
