Lions vs. Saints: 6 Things We Learned from Detroit's 31-17 Loss

It all feels so familiar.

Because it's not just that they lose, it's the maddening way they do it. I thought these weren't the "same old Lions?"

They're not, so why are they starting to act like they are?

I wouldn't have minded the Saints handing the Lions their own heads 56-6 as much as this. Lions are shorthanded and overmatched by a better team?

Fine, I can deal with that.

What I can't deal with is the Lions playing good football against another good football team and then negating every positive thing they do on the field with blatant stupidity.

It's unacceptable. And it's impossible to say the losing is causing the poor attitudes and lack of discipline. Right now it's the other way around.

But, if it's possible, we'll start with the good news.

The Lions Are Still in the Playoff Hunt

This is less about the Lions and more about the rest of the NFC.

Losses by the Bears, Falcons, Giants and Cowboys improved the Lions' playoff hopes before they even took the field.

In addition, the Bears lost a game in the "common games" tiebreaker and their team MVP, Matt Forte.

Now, you never want to see injuries be the reason for a competitive advantage, but I say this from the perspective of a team whose top quarterback played 13 of his first 32 games. I'm not about to give a team sympathy on the injury front.

I mean, the Lions don't have a running back as good as Matt Forte, but I figure it's even with them missing their top three or four backs, right?

And hey, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler have the same number of broken fingers on their respective throwing hands, right?

Ultimately, every wild card hopeful lost today, but because the Bears lost to the Chiefs, the Lions are actually in better position now than they were last week, even with the loss to the Saints.

Now the big circle dates for the "common games" tiebreaker will be Lions at Raiders (Raiders beat the Bears) in two weeks, and Bears at Broncos (Lions beat the Broncos).

The Lions Are a Second-Half Team, but They Need to Be a Two-Half Team

The Lions played notably better in the second half than they did in the first. That has been their mantra just about all year.

That isn't going to cut it against the league's elite. Every game the Lions have played against the league's top teams, they've lost. And they've lost with varying levels of severity, but really, the Lions have played with every team, at least at one point in the game.

The problem is their inability to maintain that momentum for four quarters.

In most cases, the offense doesn't really kick in until the second or third quarter, and by that point, the defense is tired from keeping the team in the game.

Against the Vikings and Cowboys? Not preferable, but they pulled those games out.

Against the Saints and Packers? Not going to cut it. Just no.

The Lions need to figure out whatever it is that's causing them to start every single game in a hole, and fix it. Those types of things typically stem from coaching issues.

Speaking of which...

The Detroit Lions: Sworn Enemies of the Detroit Lions

If you ever need to see a textbook example of what separates a talented team from a winning team, watch a tape replay of this game.

The Lions are a good football team. They can play with anybody. And they're still, still doing the little things that lose a football game.

The Lions took the field on national television for the second straight week, this time looking for redemption after embarrassing themselves (in more ways than one) on Thanksgiving.

You would think, after the Suh-tomp travesty, the Lions would come out newly focused and disciplined.

Right. The Lions played this game with all the focus and discipline of a pack of feral squirrels.

Forget everything else going on right now and forget the playoff hunt. If the Lions don't get this reigned in, and I mean immediately, they're never going anywhere. Not this season, not ever.

This Detroit Lions team can beat any team in the NFL. Packers, Saints, Ravens, 49ers, anybody. They have the talent to beat anybody in any game.

But lately, they only team they seem interested in beating is the Detroit Lions.

Now, the Good News: The Team Has Depth

I almost feel stupid for pointing out anything positive about this game.

There's never anything good about playing toe-to-toe with another football team and letting it get away because of general nonsense.

But there's something to be said for the fact that the Lions were in the game at all. The Saints are basically unbeatable at home (also in primetime), and the Lions had them on the ropes charging back into the game.

The defense was missing its best player at three different positions, and yet the Lions were able to force big stops at key moments in the game. For a good portion of the second half, Drew Brees seemed a little out-of-rhythm.

Alphonso Smith played a quietly good game (even if Eric Wright's ridiculous non-coverage on Robert Meachem elicited memories of Smith's foolery last year against the Patriots). Nick Fairley looked like the type of player considered a draft steal at 13th overall and Chris Harris played a solid game in relief of Louis Delmas.

A mark of a good team is their ability to cope with injuries, especially big ones. The Lions proved they could do that, they just have to deal with the other stuff (check the last two slides). 

More Good News: Matthew Stafford Is Just Fine (Again/Still)

One of the big questions about the Detroit Lions this season concerned the overall health of Matthew Stafford.

Well, in his 12th consecutive start this season, the gloves came off and he threw for 400 yards in a near-heroic effort that would have been easily good enough to win on a team with a semblance of discipline.

Stafford has had a number of injuries this season. Ankle, finger, and whatever Shaun Rogers inflicted on him with that vicious shot in this game.

He has played through them all, and he got back to playing extremely good football in this game, despite the injuries.

That's a good sign for the time being, but Jared Allen is coming to Ford Field to pick up where he left off eating Jeff Backus's lunch back in September.

Note to the coaching staff: Stafford is almost through the season healthy. Use double teams. Don't ask questions, just do it.

Nate Burleson Has the Worst Veteran Tricks Ever

As they get older and start losing a step or two, veteran wide receivers are known for improving in a few key areas.

Route running tends to get sharper. They often become better blockers and they learn how to get away with bending the rules a little bit.

Not Nate Burleson.

Now, I like Burleson. He's not the most consistent producer, but he's a good leader, he's a sharp guy, and he's good for a breakout game or three per season.

Burleson even had a pretty good game against the Saints. However, he would have had a better game if not for a career's worth of offensive pass interference calls.

The Lions had 11 penalties in this game for a total of 107 yards. Three of them, 30 yards of penalties? Offensive pass interference on Nate Burleson.

Sure, Burleson caught the passes after pushing off, but if those were his best wily veteran moves, he must have learned subtlety from Chad Ochocinco.