Can the Detroit Lions be upset by the New Orleans Saints? Here are three audacious predictions for their Week 13 encounter.
The Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints will square off in Week 13 as both teams look to bounce back from crushing divisional game defeats in Week 12. We’ll be making three Saints Week 13 predictions before the game.
The Saints just suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. In addition to costing them the division lead, the Falcons’ 3-0 record versus division opponents gives them a significant lead in the NFC South. The good news for New Orleans is that they still have a solid chance of winning the NFC South and maybe even making it to the Wild Card round. But the Saints have won most of their games by dominating inferior opposition. They have defeated the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, and Chicago Bears without Tyson Bagent. The good news for the Saints is that the Lions are the only club left on their schedule that has a winning record.
For the first time in more than 60 years, the Lions are 8-2 to open the season—a season they have been dreaming of for decades. But the Green Bay Packers shocked them 29–22 to reduce them to 8–3, ruining their Thanksgiving week. Even though they are currently comfortably ahead of the rest of the division, the Lions have recently played in several tight games. They must get back to their early-season form if they really intend to contend in January. If Detroit can defeat the Saints with ease, they will have the chance to demonstrate that they are a premier club. On the other hand, New Orleans will have a chance to pull off the upset if Detroit fails to show up.
Assuming the Falcons also lose, the Saints can move to 6-6 and maybe regain the division lead if they can shock the Lions. Taking all into account, let’s look at our audacious Saints Week 13 predictions.
RB Alvin Kamara of the Saints scrimmages 120 yards.
This season, Alvin Kamara has been somewhat quiet. Even though he’s still the Saints’ top running back, not much has been spoken about him, especially when compared to past seasons. This is probably due to Kamara’s lack of an explosive game thus far this season—he hasn’t gained more than 100 yards in the air in any one game. He still ranks among the best dual-threat backs, though, with 812 scrimmage yards in 11 games.
The fifth-ranked run defence of the Lions might be a problem, but Kamara’s ability to catch passes out of the backfield could be helpful. Since Kamara is only averaging 3.8 yards per run on the season, his effectiveness in the passing game can be expected to transfer over into his on-field performance.
With more over 100 all-purpose yards, Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill’s ability to run, catch, and pass at any time has made him one of the NFL’s most versatile weapons during his career. It’s difficult for defences to predict how they’ll use Hill while he’s on the field. The Hill has amassed 72 throwing yards, 287 running yards, and 214 receiving yards thus far this season.
As the season progresses, Hill’s role in the offence increases. The Saints would be wise to keep employing him since he brings a whole new dimension to their offence after he scored 81 yards against the Falcons last week.
The Saints’ defence results in three errors.
Turnovers have been a contributing factor in the Lions’ uneven play over the last several weeks. In the last two games, Detroit has turned the ball over at least three times. The Lions fumbled three times against the Packers, one of which was a strip-sack fumble that was recovered for a score. Jared Goff threw three interceptions the week before, and the Lions gave up four total turnovers. The Saints may exploit this, as it is obviously not a prescription for success.
In the last three weeks, New Orleans has forced seven turnovers. With 20 takeaways, they are tied for fourth place in the NFL, so if the Lions don’t play better defensively, they should be able to steal the ball a few times. One way the Saints might get an advantage in this game is by winning the turnover war, as they are not as good as the Lions.
