Detroit Lions: 5 Changes the Lions Need To Make To Get Back to Winning

The Detroit Lions are fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC. After last week's loss to Green Bay on the national stage however, they might just be fighting for their jobs.

This season, the Lions have been on what some would call a roller coaster ride. The high point, the 5-0 start including a huge win against division rival Chicago on Monday Night Football. The low points, and there are several, the losses to San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago and Green Bay, the whole Ndamukong Suh mess and running back Jahvid Best being placed on injured reserve.

Sunday night's game against the Saints is huge. There's no questioning what the Saints are capable of. Drew Brees will likely torch the Lions' secondary if cornerback Chris Houston and safety Louis Delmas are unavailable.

Without Ndamukong Suh to plug up the middle, the Lions have to rely heavily on rookie Nick Fairley and defensive ends Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch to step up. With that in mind, it is likely that Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles will light up the Lions' run defense too.

There are, however, five things that the Lions can do to not just  win on Sunday, but to continue their winning ways in general. If the Lions win Sunday, they will no doubt renew faith in themselves and in their fans, as well as re-generate their playoff hopes. If not, they can still make the playoffs, but the hill they need to climb will get a lot steeper.

1. Lions Must Win Time of Possession

In every NFL game, time of possession is vital. It could be the difference between a win and a loss.

If you control the clock, you control the flow of the offense, and sometimes the game. Against the Saints, however, time of possession means added weight and importance.

In each of New Orleans losses this season they have failed to win the battle for time of possession.

In Thursday's matchup against Green Bay, the Lions controlled the clock most of the first half. At halftime, the score was 7-0 Green Bay , thanks in large part to that statistic.

While winning time of possession is important, it is also important to do something with it. In the Green Bay game, the Lions got nothing to show for their domination of the clock. This cannot happen against New Orleans, or they will not fare well.

If the Lions want to have a chance on Sunday, they need to convert third downs and find balance in their offense—two things they've struggled with mightily in their last few games.

But if Detroit can find a running back to step up and keep the offense on the field a-la Kevin Smith two weeks ago then the Lions will give themselves a great chance to keep New Orleans off the scoreboard.

2. Without Gloves, Matthew Stafford Must Return to Former Self

There are no more excuses remaining for quarterback Matt Stafford the rest of this season.

Stafford went into practice this week without the glove, indicating that the fractured finger that has clearly bothered him the past few weeks has healed—that or the Lions' brass finally told him to get rid of the gloves.

Without the gloves, Stafford has had a much better touchdown-to-interceptions ratio. If Stafford can grip the football the way he did at the beginning and can find that magic touch, Stafford will have no problems getting back to his former self.

In the past few games, however, Stafford has looked like a much different quarterback.  Remember when Jimmy Clausen was drafted last year and Jon Gruden told him "no bad decisions. None"? Stafford needs to adopt that mantra.

If Stafford can find his touch that he had at the beginning of the year, the Lions will make a game out of it.

3. Lions Must Ignore Ndamukong Suh Distraction

Every NFL team has some type of distraction at some point during the season. Whether it's a key injury, a player unhappy with a contract or a prima donna in the locker room, distractions are a part of the game. Distractions are also the last thing the Lions need, and therefore the onus is on them to ignore it.

The loss to Green Bay was devastating for any Lions fan who was expecting a win. The outburst and subsequent suspension of Ndamukong Suh has only given more reason for the Detroit team to come into their matchup against the Saints this week without a proper sense of focus.

Good teams are the ones that can take distractions, ignore them, and go out and win their next contest. It's time for the Lions to prove that they, too, can join those ranks.

What matters is that this season is far from lost and the Lions have no time to feel sorry for themselves. Once again this week they will be in the national spotlight, this time in a prime-time Sunday Night Football game.

4. Offensive Line Must Act as a Cohesive Unit

The old adage in the NFL is "where the quarterback goes, the team goes". This has never been more true this season with the Lions, but let me add to that.

How about the Lions adapting the adage of "whatever way the offensive line goes, the quarterback goes"? I kind of like that one. The offensive line has to do a couple of things if the Lions want to have a chance Sunday night.

Firstly, the Lions must keep Stafford upright. If Stafford has time to plant his feet, set and throw, Stafford is virtually unstoppable. If he has to scramble away, he's completely different. With protection, Stafford can get Calvin Johnson involved again, can spread the ball all over the field and sometimes can even tuck it in and run himself. Without protection, Stafford ends up on the ground, or with a broken finger.

Secondly, the offensive line must stop committing drive-killing penalties. I'm looking at you, Jeff Backus. When the Lions were in that 5-0 run, the offensive line penalties were few and far between. Now obviously, at least a holding penalty occurs nearly every single play. I'm not saying eliminate penalties altogether, though that would be nice.

It seems whenever the Lions get a huge play or get close to the end zone, an offensive lineman, not just Backus, commits a dumb penalty that pushes them out of range. This must stop Sunday, or it will be difficult to get the ball in the end zone.

5. On Sunday, Lions Must Force Drew Brees to Pass...a Lot

Now before you all commit me to a mental institution for coming up with this idea, just hear me out.

I get that the Lions' secondary is patchwork at best with the losses of Chris Houston and Louis Delmas. Alphonso Smith will likely play Sunday. He's done well, but let's be real he's not Chris Houston.

At first glance, this key appears to make no sense. The Saints have the No. 1-ranked passing attack in the NFL, averaging 324 yards through the air each game.

So, why on earth would Detroit want to force the ball into star quarterback Drew Brees' hand?

Simple. When Brees has to chuck the ball all over the field, the Saints lose. Brees has 44 pass attempts or more in each of the Saints' three losses this season.

The number of rushing yards in those three games? 40. That's right, 40.

So the best way to beat the Saints is to force them to pass.

Imagine that. Who knew?

If the Lions can do all these things Sunday, they are looking at the playoff picture again. It all starts Sunday. All of these things must be done if the Lions wish to continue their winning ways.