Lions vs. Saints: Why New Orleans Shouldn't Take Detroit Lightly

The Detroit Lions entered the 2011 regular season with a lot of buzz and momentum. Unlike other teams expected to make the playoffs this season, the Lions delivered, earning themselves the No. 6 seed in the NFC, which marks their first postseason appearance since 1999.

They'll be facing the New Orleans Saints, one of the most offensively-explosive teams in the league this season, thanks to the skills of quarterback Drew Brees, his many receivers and their top-10 run game.

While the Saints are expected to defeat Detroit this week, they just might find themselves on the losing end of a Wild Card upset for the second consecutive year.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford joins Brees and the New England Patriots' Tom Brady as one of three players with over 5,000 passing yards on the season. While less successful than the Saints this year, they still have a passing game and receiving corps to rival New Orleans' and they'll be heavily relying on it in Saturday night's game.

It shouldn't be hard for the Lions to move the ball on New Orleans, considering the team has given up an average of 259.8 passing yards per game this year.

Stafford threw for 408 yards when the two teams met in Week 13, and though that game ended as a 31-17 loss for Detroit, they did manage to put up more yards, run more plays, earn more first downs and control the ball for 10 minutes longer than the Saints.

Looking at those numbers, it seems lucky that the Saints were able to win so convincingly in the teams' first meeting. Should the statistics be that lopsided again on Saturday, the Saints won't likely be as fortunate.

Both the Saints and the Lions have exploitable secondaries. This game has every indication of being a shootout, which is a dangerous situation for both teams. All it takes is one off day for Brees or a few mistakes by the Saints for the Lions to win.

In an anything-can-happen league in the most crucial and unpredictable time of the year, the Lions will be ready to prove they deserve to be in the Saints' company in the postseason. If New Orleans underestimates them, it could be one-and-done for the NFC South powerhouse.