NFL Playoffs: Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints and 5 Hot-to-Trot Tips

It was the game that nobody in the NFC wanted to get—a first round trip to the Superdome to play the New Orleans Saints and that human-freak known as Drew Brees. And the Detroit Lions were lucky enough to be the team that gets to travel there; though they don't have many excuses after losing to a second-string Green Bay unit.

Will the Lions bounce back and, behind a big game from Matthew Stafford, pull a trick or two out of the back to take a victory here? Or will the Saints simply be too strong and too powerful, and stake their claim as Super Bowl threats once more?

Whether you're a die-hard fan for either side, or just an interested fan, here's your five hot-to-trot tips for the big game this weekend. Because, when it all comes down to it, whatever the result is, we're all going to feel better if our pockets are a little heavier.

Head-to-head

Coming off the biggest game of his career, Matthew Stafford will be flying high -- an unusual feeling for a quarterback coming in to the Superdome. The Saints are 8-0 at home and are on an eight game winning streak—something that will be hard to stop at home in a playoff game.

Whilst both quarterbacks have the ability to chalk up several touchdowns and several hundred yards, the key for me is the other areas, such as running the football, and overall defense. Both those areas say to me that the New Orleans Saints are going to be far too strong in this one.

The Saints have allowed over 250 passing yards per game this season, but they've only let that turn into 21.2 points per game. The Lions are conceding several points more per game, and have allowed more touchdowns this year than the Saints.

And against Drew Brees, that total is set to rise.

Put a powerful offense with a strong defense, plus a running game that is going for over 130 yards per game, and the Saints will win this. Even with the loss of Mark Ingram, the Saints running game is still far superior to the Lions, who rank in the bottom-four in the NFL when running the football.

It might not be the fireworks that we saw from Drew Brees against the Falcons and the Panthers, but there will be yards and touchdowns, and the Saints will show their superior class in this one.

Prediction: New Orleans Saints

Margin and/or spread

If you're with me in agreeing that the New Orleans Saints are going to win, the next question has to be: how much will they win by? And to answer that question, we must think about how the Saints will take down the Lions.

The obvious answer is just to beat on them offensively—something Brees and the offense has gotten very accustomed to this year—but they may just want to see this game as a defensive test for their next rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.

I'd expect the Saints defense to have one of it's best games here. As mentioned before, they're allowing yards but not allowing points, and despite Stafford hitting his strides, he struggled when the sides last played (in Week 13), especially when New Orleans sent pressure.

When the two sides met on December 4th, Stafford went 10-17 for 167 yards, an interception and no touchdown when the Saints sent five or more pass rushers.

For the year, the Lions quarterback has thrown six interceptions and seven touchdowns, for a total quarterback rating of 44.4, when facing the five-plus rushers.

And the Saints will send them all day, as they have done on 51 percent of occasions this year.

I can see the Saints defense making a couple of big stops in this one, though most likely without interceptions, and I simply can't see the Lions stopping the one-two punch of Drew Brees and the running game of Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas.

To me, the Saints will win by more than a touchdown.

Prediction: New Orleans to cover the spread (or win by more than 10) 

Total points for the match

And herein lies the difficult one.

Throughout the year, it's been fairly safe to take the 'over' total points when the Saints are playing, and it's been relatively safe to do the same thing when the Lions are playing. Which then, makes this game a no-brainer in taking the over.

However, the over/under line will also be considerably higher for this game, and will probably fall somewhere around the 58-point mark, which, when you break it down, requires more than two touchdowns every quarter.

And that's where I get a little nervous. I'm happy to take the over normally for both sides; I just have a feeling the Saints defense may cook up something special for Stafford and bring him down off that high. His inability to compete against the blitz is not helpful for the Lions chances of an offensive shootout.

If the Lions are to win, they've got to restrict to Drew Brees to around 30 points, meaning that the defense will gear up for a big game.

And that's why I like the under. Not because both sides can't get to the over—they probably should both make it—but with all the focus on the strength of their respective offenses, both defenses will need a big game.

The Saints defense will definitely show up and will be hungry for Stafford, and I think the Lions defense may have one of it's better games as well this year.

Call this one a hunch: I'm happy for under 58 points. Anything lower than that, say around the 50 point mark, then take the over.

Prediction: Under total points (take anything around the 58-point mark)

First scoring play of the match

If I were to go through the things I've noticed most about the Saints this year, I would probably start with the fact that Drew Brees is really, really, good, and I'd follow that up with the fact that he loves to score first, and does so frequently.

For me, if the Saints win the kickoff, they'll take the ball, and expect Brees to march them down the field with the home crowd behind him. If the Lions win the kickoff, they'll have to take the ball, and with the Saints pass-rush and the noisy crowd, they'll punt it before you can get comfy in your armchair.

And Drew Brees, marching down the field, at home, in a playoff game, has far too many weapons to not convert on second and third down situations. The run game will be too effective early, and will move the chain well enough for Brees to throw a strike in the end-zone.

You could take the field goal, but Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas hold the key for me, and will take them from field goal range to the end-zone. And if you don't like the run game, maybe then just trust Drew Brees to throw a touchdown or two.

I've heard he's getting good at that.

Prediction: New Orleans touchdown as the first scoring play of the match

First touchdown scorer

And so then we're left with just one final question: Who will Drew Brees throw to in his first money-strike? And with Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles, Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem all taking in at least six touchdowns for the year, it appears like the winner will come from here.

I like the running game of New Orleans to take Brees into good field position, but I expect Brees to drop back and hit a target early, especially if the Lions don't bring much pressure.

He went 22-28 for 297 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions when the Lions brought four or fewer pass rushers in Week 13, and I've got no doubt he can do it again.

As to who catches it? I'm taking Jimmy Graham.

The big man, has taken in 11 touchdowns for the year, and has caught for over 1,300 yards this year at 13.2 yards per catch. He's been arguably Brees' biggest go-to guy in the end-zone this year, and expect him to take another one here. Graham also has 99 catches for the year. Number 100 as the first touchdown in the playoffs at home?

Sounds too good to be true.

Prediction: Jimmy Graham as the first touchdown scorer