New Orleans Saints vs. Detroit Lions: Complete Week 7 Preview for Detroit

The Detroit Lions limp back home to take on a New Orleans Saints team burdened with a losing record and Super Bowl expectations.

Last week's win over the Minnesota Vikings allowed Detroit to keep a share of the NFC North lead. The offense needs to find a boost so it can help the league's top statistical defense and complete the picture of a playoff team.

The Saints are coming off a bye week but may be without their best offensive weapon. Still, an extra week to prepare against an offense that head coach Sean Payton knows intimately might be enough to aid New Orleans' ailing defense.

Will the Lions sack the Saints, or will New Orleans march into town and grab an elusive road win?

Click through to find out.

Lions Week 6 Recap

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Week 6 was all about the defense. Again

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah led the charge with 2.5 sacks, and his compadres chipped in another 5.5 to push the Lions to the top of sack heap with 20 on the year.

That pressure forced three turnovers and helped limit the Minnesota Vikings to 255 total yards. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead hauled in two interceptions and Glover Quin baited quarterback Teddy Bridgewater into an early pick in the end zone.

The defense will need to continue that effort against the high-scoring Saints, because the offense couldn't find its way out of the woods right now.

Matthew Stafford struggled to find a rhythm due to an offensive line that refused to protect him. If it wasn't for Joique Bell's 74 rushing yards, the final score would have been much closer than 17-3.

News and Notes

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Ziggy is the Mane Man

For the second time this year, a Lions defender brought home hardware and a little recognition. Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk has the details:

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Defensive end Ziggy Ansah was tabbed for NFC defensive player of the week honors for the first time in his NFL career. Ansah abused Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil to the tune of 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble, a performance that helped make Teddy Bridgewater’s second NFL start a lot less enjoyable than his first one.

"

It was Ansah's coming-out party, but his best play has been overlooked. He dropped back into coverage, recognized the Vikings were running a screen, shrugged off a block attempt and ate up the running back a few yards behind the line of scrimmage.

That play demonstrated the type of growth he's made as a football player. And now the league is starting to take notice. 

See You Later Prater?

Matt Prater is technically a member of the special teams, but his performance was the perfect summary of the offense. He missed two field goals but did make one from 52 yards to give Detroit a double-digit lead.

According to head coach Jim Caldwell, via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press, the poor performance wasn't enough to shake his confidence.

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I think (with) wind like we had today, you're going to have an issue. He kicked a 52-yarder, which was great. We have all the confidence in the world in him. I mean, the guy's got a great track record. We feel good about him.

"

You can't blame the fans for being skittish. Had Detroit kickers hit a few more field goals against Carolina and Buffalo, this team could be undefeated.

Yet, Caldwell has the right idea. Prater has spent the last few months dealing with personal issues that have played out in a very public manner and hasn't attempted a kick in a game since 2013. His past accomplishments merit him a little patience as he works out the kinks.

Is Ryan Whining? 

One player isn't displaying the patience of his head coach.

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It's tough to keep a smile on your face when you feel like u are being held back but remember you are where u are for a reason!

— Ryan Broyles (@RyanBroyles) October 12, 2014"

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Your plan may not be his plan! The light will shine sooner than later on you! Keep pushing someone sees ur worth!

— Ryan Broyles (@RyanBroyles) October 12, 2014"

There are a few ways the team could take this. He's either a malcontent who isn't happy with his extremely limited role (just 13 snaps this year), or he's a passionate player who spoke too soon.

Or he just wants out.

By all accounts, Ryan Broyles is a good guy who does a lot for the community, and he's battled back from three season-ending injuries the past three years. The frustration of watching his snaps go to Jeremy Ross, who has proven to be a more explosive version of Broyles, is understandably wearing on him.

Caldwell responded by saying he is willing to talk to the young wideout about any issues, and this will probably fade away quickly. Still, don't be surprised if Broyles asks for his release or a trade in the offseason since he still has another year on his contract.

Injury Report

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Position	Player	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Status
TE	Eric Ebron	Hamstring	LP	NP	NP	Doubtful
TE	Joseph Fauria	Ankle	NP	NP	NP	Out
WR	Calvin Johnson	Ankle	NP	NP	NP	Questionable
LB	Travis Lewis	Quadricep	NP	NP	NP	Out
RB	Theo Riddick	Hamstring	NP	NP	NP	Doubtful
DE	Ezekiel Ansah	Toe	NP	LP	LP	Probable
RB	Reggie Bush	Ankle	LP	LP	FP	Probable
WR	Jeremy Ross	Ankle	NP	FP	FP	Probable

*Injury statuses are from DetroitLions.com

The return of Reggie Bush to a struggling offense will be completely offset if Eric Ebron isn't ready to go. The rookie tight end is dealing with a hamstring issue, and it's impossible to say if he can play.

If he doesn't, the Lions will be extremely limited at tight end since Joseph Fauria is likely out this week. The probable option to join Brandon Pettigrew is practice-squad player Jordan Thompson, although the Lions worked out Kellen Davis and Richard Gordon this week, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.

The bigger issue is the loss of a coverage hog like Ebron when the team is already missing Johnson. The offense will have to rely heavily on the run and screen game to move the ball without their two biggest physical mismatches.

Ziggy is back at practice and looks like he'll be set to roll on Sunday. The defense should be healthy, which is good considering the shape of the offense.

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

Ben Margot/Associated Press

OG Rob Sims and LT Riley Reiff vs. DE Cameron Jordan

The Saints don't have a great pass rush (six sacks on the year), but they have talent. And Cameron Jordan is probably the cream of the crop.

This year hasn't seen his best effort (1 sack and 12 pressures), yet Detroit's offensive line has been extremely accommodating. The struggling Rob Sims and average Riley Reiff need to neutralize New Orleans' biggest threat to give Stafford time.

S Glover Quin vs. QB Drew Brees

If Jimmy Graham does go, and head coach Sean Payton is hopeful that he can, the matchup switches to Quin and the tight end. However, Brees is a worthy foe himself.

Brees loves to use pump fakes to push defensive backs out of position and then exploit the space for a big play. Quin can't bite on the pumps and must stay high enough to cover another defensive back's mistake.

LB DeAndre Levy vs. RB Pierre Thomas

The Saints not only average 133 yards on the ground, they throw for almost 310 per contest too, and much of that comes in the form of Pierre Thomas.

He has the fourth most catches on the team (25) and actually has more yards after the catch (196) than total yards receiving (187). DeAndre Levy will need to be at his best, which means sniffing out the short passes and hauling Thomas down before he gets rolling.

Lions' X-Factor of the Week: SS James Ihedigbo

The Saints are capable of both running and throwing the ball, so a defender who can make an impact in both phases will be necessary. For Detroit, James Ihedigbo is that player.

He's posted the highest run defense grade (2.0) among safeties, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That ability should help push the Saints into 3rd-and-long situations, allowing the pass rush to cut loose.

Prediction

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

This game was tough to predict before Eric Ebron's injury came to light. Now, it's virtually impossible. 

One can assume that Detroit will need to up its pathetic scoring output to keep pace with New Orleans' 26.4 points per game. Losing the young potential playmaker makes that a much more difficult proposition.

However, defensive teams always have the advantage. Mike O'Hara of DetroitLions.com painted the picture perfectly here:

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In the last five seasons, only five teams that finished in the top five in total yards allowed missed making the playoffs as a division champion or wild card. One of those 25 teams finished 8-8. The other 24 had winning records.

"

Ford Field will be rocking and the lack of wind should help Matt Prater find the mark against a defense that allowed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to put up 31 points. And that contest was in New Orleans.

In short, anyone can score points on the Saints, and nobody has had much luck doing the same against Detroit. Plus, it's incredibly hard to see this defense losing two straight games at home. 

Score: Lions 20, Saints 17

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu. 

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus and require a subscription.