Lions vs. Saints: 5 Bold Predictions for Superdome Showdown

I recommend watching all four wild card games this weekend. But if you only have time to watch one, it should be the Detroit Lions at the New Orleans Saints.

FYI, it's slated to start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, and will be shown on NBC.

Given what we know about the Lions and Saints, we can rest assured that this is going to be a high-scoring game with plenty of fireworks. The Saints set all sorts of offensive records this season, and the Lions' own offense really caught fire in the last four weeks of the season.

As for what you can expect to see, I'm afraid to say I have no idea. I don't have a crystal ball.

I do, however, have some bold predictions I don't mind sharing.

Darren Sproles Will Have 100 Yards...Receiving

He was overshadowed by Drew Brees all season, but Darren Sproles was awesome in 2011. He was the Saints' leading rusher and third-leading receiver, setting a new NFL record with 2,696 all-purpose yards.

While I have no doubt that Sproles will take care of business on the ground, I'm looking for him to have a big day catching the ball. The Lions had a tendency to lose sight of running backs in passing situations in 2011, and that tendency will kill them against Sproles and the Saints.

It's not unheard of for Sproles to notch upward of 50 or 75 receiving yards in a game, but I'm going to up the ante and say that he's going to surpass 100 yards receiving.

All it will take is one big reception and a few little ones. That's not asking a lot when it comes to Sproles.

Matthew Stafford Will Throw for More Yards Than Drew Brees

I won't argue that Drew Brees is a better quarterback than Matthew Stafford, but there's not as much of a divide between them as you may think.

In fact, Stafford finish just a couple hundred yards and a couple touchdown passes shy of matching Brees' record-setting production. Not too shabby.

To boot, Stafford finished the season on fire, topping 350 yards passing in four of his last five games. He topped 400 in one of those, and he wrapped the season up by topping 500.

To keep up with Brees and the Saints' offense, the Lions are going to need Stafford to explode once again. He will gladly oblige, and he should be able to top 400 yards with enough throws.

To do that, he'll need a little help from a certain somebody.

Calvin Johnson Will Have Three Touchdown Catches

This certain somebody, to be exact.

Megatron was awesome in Detroit's final three games, catching 24 passes for 560 yards and four touchdowns. He simply couldn't be covered, and Stafford remembered that all he has to do is throw it up for grabs in Johnson's general direction.

Stafford is going to do that again on Saturday. In fact, he's probably going to have to. There are going to be moments in this game where the Lions will have to answer scoring drives by the Saints, and the best way for them to do that is by getting the ball to Megatron.

I'm thinking they will, and I'm thinking Megatron will find the end zone three times, something he's done just once in his career.

I could predict two touchdown passes, but that's not bold enough.

Drew Brees Will Throw Five Touchdown Passes

Stafford will beat Brees when it comes to passing yardage, but he won't top Brees when it comes to passing touchdowns. 

That's because Brees made it a habit of getting his team in the end zone this season. He threw 46 touchdown passes, and he had five games in which he threw at least four. He threw five touchdown passes in a game three times.

I foresee Brees making it four, three of which will have come in his last four games. Brees is that hot right now, and his playmakers are clicking on all cylinders.

Stafford can have the yards. Brees will take the scores.

The Saints Will Win By Less than a Touchdown

The Saints dominated the Lions when they first played them, but the Lions were not at full strength. Ndamukong Suh was suspended, and Matthew Stafford was still dealing with a wounded finger.

The Lions have gotten much stronger in the weeks since, so they really have no business being (according to Bovada) 11-point underdogs.

In a game that will likely see both teams lighting up the scoreboard, nobody is running away with this game. That will be particularly troubling for the Saints, as they just aren't used to being tested within the friendly confines of the Superdome.

They'll pull it out, but it's going to be close.

Saints 41, Lions 35