NFL Playoffs 2012: Which New Orleans Saints Players Must Be Sharp to Advance

The New Orleans Saints ended the regular season perhaps as strong as any team in recent memory.  They reeled off eight straight victories to finish 13-3 and secure the third seed in the NFC.

However, they were unable to capture a first-round bye, and will host the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card Round.  

These two teams squared off in a Week 13 matchup in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome—where this week's matchup will take place—resulting in a 31-17 victory for the Saints.

In that game, though, the Lions were without star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was serving a two-game suspension.  The Lions will have Suh for this one, and the Saints will have to be ready.

Suh brings a fire to this Lions defense, one that was perhaps missing the first time these two teams met.  

The Saints finished the 2011 regular season 8-0 at home, and it may seem easy to put this one in the win column for the Saints, given the regular season results.  

However, there are a few key players for the Saints that will have to bring their "A" game to ensure the Saints roll on to San Francisco in the divisional round.  We know Drew Brees will be on top of his game, but let's explore who else must be.

RB Christopher Ivory

News broke early this week that the Saints will be without rookie RB Mark Ingram for the entire postseason, due to a lingering toe injury.  

In his absence, undrafted second-year running back Christopher Ivory out of Tiffin University, will have to be effective.  He will need to fuel the Saints' ground game if they want to put the Lions away.  

The Saints also have Pierre Thomas and scat back Darren Sproles in the backfield, but the team will look to Ivory to set the tempo and take the pressure off of Drew Brees and the passing game.

If Ivory can get going early, it will open up the field for Drew Brees and keep the Lions off-balance, which spells disaster for Detroit.

Saints' Interior Offensive Line

Unlike many other teams, the Lions generate much of their pressure on the quarterback from their interior defensive line.  

As I mentioned earlier, the Lions will have their man back on defense.  Ndamukong Suh will look to get after Drew Brees and disrupt his rhythm.  

In order to combat this, the Saints' interior linemen—consisting of guards Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, as well as center Brian de la Puente—will have to stand strong and prevent Suh from busting through and chasing Brees.  

If they can prevent Suh, and even fellow first-round pick defensive tackle Nick Fairley, from getting pressure on Brees, then Drew will sit back and pick the Lions secondary apart en route to another monster game.

CB Jabari Greer

The Lions' biggest weapon on offense is undoubtedly their 6'5" star wide receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson.  

The task of covering this monster will be assigned to CB Jabari Greer for much of the game.  Greer's specialty is his speed, which he will need every bit of to keep up with the freak athlete that is Calvin Johnson.

Greer will need help from a safety, as defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will ensure that they do not let Johnson beat them.  

However, when he is one-on-one with Johnson, he will have to be sharp. If he is lax at all in his coverage, Johnson will find a seam and he almost never misses those opportunities.  

If Greer can hold his own against Johnson until help arrives, the Saints will remove a key dimension from Detroit's offense and help slow them down.

RB Darren Sproles

Sproles, standing tall at 5'6", is listed as a running back, but has been much more than that for the Saints since signing with the team in the offseason.  

Sproles has been a threat out of the backfield for Drew Brees to check down to when his primary targets are covered.  He has also been unleashed in the return game, returning both kicks and punts for New Orleans.  

It will be in these areas, outside of running the ball, that the Saints need him to excel against the Lions.  If he can set them up in good field position, or, dare I say it, run one back, the Saints will be ahead of the game and will be able to take some pressure off of their dynamic offense.  

Brees has relied on Sproles all season.  Saturday night will be no different.  

Sproles set the single-season record for most all-purpose yards in the regular season, and it will take this same type of dynamism from Sproles to ensure a victory for the home Saints.

If these players and units can step up, it should be nearly impossible for the Lions to compete with the high-octane Saints.  That will pave the way for a showdown with the 49ers in San Francisco on January 14th.