Lions vs. Saints: New Orleans Grades, Notes and Quotes

The New Orleans Saints suffered their fifth loss in their last six outings Monday night, as they fell to the Detroit Lions 35-27.

With the loss, New Orleans (5-9) is assured of its second straight losing season and third in the last four years.

In the first half, the Lions (5-9) followed the lead of quarterback Matthew Stafford and built a 21-3 halftime lead, thanks in part to an abysmal defensive performance from coach Sean Payton’s Saints.

Offensively, New Orleans got off to a slow start, going three-and-out on its first two possessions. A bad punt by Thomas Morstead after the Saints’ second possession gave the Lions excellent field position. Six plays and a Brandon Browner penalty later, Detroit was on the board 7-0.

New Orleans answered with a 45-yard field goal from Kai Forbath, but more subpar defensive play from the Saints helped the Lions go up 14-3 on a four-yard touchdown connection from Stafford to Michael Burton.

Following another punt by the Saints, Stafford and the Lions put together a 65-yard drive capped off with a Stafford-to-Golden Tate touchdown. The visiting Lions then held a commanding 21-3 lead.

New Orleans came to life offensively near the end of the half, as quarterback Drew Brees led the Saints down to the Detroit 1-yard line, but they failed to come away with any points.

Running back Tim Hightower’s would-be touchdown run was called back due to a questionable illegal formation penalty on New Orleans. Another apparent touchdown, this one by wideout Marques Colston, was also negated by a Saints penalty, and Payton’s squad came away empty-handed on the final drive of the half.

After the break, things didn’t exactly improve for the New Orleans defense. The maligned unit yielded a touchdown march to open the third quarter, and the Lions extended their lead to 28-3.

The Saints defensive unit, playing its fourth game under the leadership of coordinator Dennis Allen, was almost completely nonexistent at that point in the game, as Detroit’s Ameer Abdullah walked into the end zone from 15 yards out.

New Orleans began to rev up offensively midway through the third quarter, and it finally reached paydirt on Brees’ 27-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks.

After the Saints added another field goal and recovered an Abdullah fumble, Colston hauled in a touchdown reception, shortening the Lions’ lead to 28-20. Detroit answered with another touchdown, however, to extend its lead to 15 points.

New Orleans wasn’t finished yet though, and the Brees-led offense went on an impressive 80-yard scoring drive to make it a one-possession contest with 1:55 to go.

The Saints didn’t even get close to recovering Morstead’s ensuing onside kick, however, as the ball went right into the hands of Calvin Johnson. Thanks to a 36-run by Joique Bell, Detroit held onto the ball for much of the remaining time, and New Orleans fell at home in prime time.

Continue reading for a closer look at the Saints’ Monday night defeat.

Grades

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Quarterback:  B+

Brees was one of the bright spots for New Orleans on Monday, despite the fact he suffered a foot injury in the first half.

He finished with 341 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and he connected on numerous tough throws throughout the contest.

Sure, he was off the mark in a few instances, but the Saints captain also displayed toughness and leadership in battling through an injury while keeping his team in the game.

Running Back:  B-

Monday’s contest marked the second straight week in which Tim Hightower carried the load between the tackles for the Saints. He hammered out 54 yards on 13 carries, but with his team trailing for much of the game, he wasn’t allowed to become a big factor in this one.

Meanwhile, C.J. Spiller continued to play a minimal role, garnering just four offensive touches on the night. Given his skill set and its perceived fit in the Saints' wide-open offense, his lack of touches remains a head-scratcher.

Wide Receiver/Tight End:  B

The New Orleans receivers had trouble getting separation in the early going, as the Detroit defensive backs had their way with them in man coverage.

As the game wore on, however, Brandon Cooks, Willie Snead and Co. started to find their way, and the Saints offense woke up and began to find its rhythm.

Cooks and Snead snagged 10 receptions each, combining for 200 receiving yards. Cooks finished with 124 yards and a score while being covered by the pesky Darius Slay, who’s quickly developing into one of the league’s better cover men.

Benjamin Watson got in on the act as well, grabbing six balls for 49 yards and a touchdown while also contributing as a blocker.

Offensive Line:  B-

The New Orleans offensive line provided Brees with solid pass protection for the majority of the game, which is an accomplishment against the ultra-aggressive Lions defense.

Left tackle Terron Armstead held up well against sack artist Ezekiel Ansah, who came in with 13.5 sacks under his belt. Ansah won a few battles, but the fact that Brees was only hit three times in the entire contest speaks well for the Saints’ pass protection as a whole.

The left guard position was a revolving door for about a quarter, as starter Andrus Peat, Senio Kelemete and Tim Lelito all had snaps there in the early going. Lelito emerged as the game wore on, however, although Peat would re-enter the game in the second half in place of injured right tackle Zach Strief.

Defensive Line:  F

The problems for the Saints defense started up front with the defensive line, and by the time the group finally stepped up its play in the third quarter, the damage had been done. New Orleans gave up 150 rushing yards (6.5 yards per carry) to a Detroit unit that came in ranked dead last in the NFL in rush offense.

Detroit running backs Bell and Abdullah combined for 148 of those yards on just 17 carries, as the Lions ripped the Saints for big gains on the ground throughout the contest.

Linebacker:  D

Hau’oli Kikaha’s forced fumble and recovery, along with Kasim Edebali’s two sacks, were all that kept this group from receiving an “F.”

Middle ‘backer Stephone Anthony took a step back in this one, as the rookie was out of place on numerous instances against both the pass and the run.

Then there’s Dannell Ellerbe, who was nearly shaken out of his shoes by Theo Riddick in the second quarter. It certainly wasn’t one of Ellerbe’s best games in a Saints uniform, as the Detroit running backs piled up yards through the air and on the ground.

Defensive Back:  F

The Saints limited Calvin Johnson, who was covered mostly by Browner, to just one catch for 19 yards.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, Stafford went 22-of-25 on the night with three touchdowns while spreading the ball around to nine different receivers.

The linebackers are also partly to blame for this, but opposing tight ends have made a mockery of the New Orleans pass defense this season. Monday night was no different, as Eric Ebron picked up 85 yards, including a 45-yard reception in the first quarter that led to a touchdown.

Pick plays burned the Saints cornerbacks time and time again, and free safety Jairus Byrd was once again a non-factor.

Special Teams:  D

New Orleans’ special teams play was nothing to brag about in this one. Morstead’s aforementioned shaky punt led to Detroit’s first score, and his poor attempt at an onside kick at the end of the game landed directly in the arms of Johnson.

The kickoff coverage unit was far from stellar, as Abdullah racked up 123 yards on just four returns, including a 30-yarder on the opening kickoff of the second half.

Coaching: D

There was plenty of talk heading into the game regarding the improvements made by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in his first three games, but some old problematic areas reared their ugly heads again against Detroit.

The Saints were unable to get properly set before Abdullah’s 15-yard touchdown after the second half began, which points to yet another pre-snap communication issue.

There was also a noticeable lack of adjustment on the pick play, which the Lions repeatedly used to torch the Saints when in man coverage.

Of course, one could claim that an overall lack of talent, as opposed to bad coaching, is the chief reason for the Saints' defensive troubles this season.

New Orleans Experiences Rare Loss in Prime Time Under Sean Payton

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New Orleans may be going through a rough season, but heading into Monday's game, the Saints still had a reputation as being a tough team to beat in prime-time games. 

In fact, New Orleans entered the contest with a 17-4 record in regular-season prime-time games under Payton, including a 2-0 mark this season. 

Whether the game was scheduled for Thursday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday night, if the lights came on, the Saints came to play. 

Monday's loss took some shine off Payton's stellar mark at night, and with only day games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons remaining on this year's schedule, New Orleans will have to wait until 2016 before it gets another shot on the big stage. 

Saints Battle Back to Make a Game of It

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After the Lions knifed through the Saints defense to go up 28-3 right after halftime, New Orleans could have easily folded.

Payton’s club proved resilient and gutsy, if nothing else, as it turned a 25-point third-quarter deficit into a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter.

The Saints were making things happen on offense and forcing stops on defense. Until they yielded a backbreaking touchdown late in the game, they had a shot to tie the contest up with time to spare.

After the game, Spiller weighed in on the Saints’ comeback, saying at the postgame press conference: “The guys just started making plays. That was the big thing. We were being explosive and taking what they were giving us. We were just trying to stay out of the 3rd-and-longs.”

During one sizable chunk of the second half, New Orleans scored points on four consecutive drives.

The Saints didn’t finish the job, but they certainly put to rest any notions about not having any competitive fire or fight.

Drew Brees, on His Personal Milestones Reached Monday Night

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Despite suffering an injury, Brees had an excellent night throwing the football and reached a couple of noteworthy historical achievements in the process.

With his touchdown toss to Cooks, he became just the fourth player in NFL history to reach 60,000 career passing yards, moving into truly elite company. Brees joined Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to accomplish the feat, which wasn’t his only major milestone of the night.

The Saints signal-caller also eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing mark for an NFL record 10th straight season, breaking his own league record.

Brees gave his thoughts on his night of personal achievement, per NewOrleansSaints.com:

"

I wish we were talking about these milestones under better circumstances. If you play the game long enough, I guess those things add up, and I’m just blessed to have been able to play the game long enough to see some of the marks. There are so many people that are a part of that, and that’s what I like to think about and what I can attribute that to.

"