Detroit Lions: 5 Keys to Loss vs. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints did some of the damage on Sunday Night Football, but in the end, it was really the Detroit Lions who beat themselves.

Consistently moving backwards certainly cost Detroit precious field position, and the Saints offense scored at too frenetic a pace for the Lions to keep up.

It is frustrating to see Detroit take themselves out of a game as they did in this contest, but they remain firmly in the playoff hunt.

With the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons both dropping to 7-5, along with Detroit, the Wild Card race remains up for grabs.

The Lions need to regroup quickly as they prepare to play the Minnesota Vikings, but they must also learn from the countless mistakes they made this week.

Let's look at the keys to this fifth loss of the season for Detroit.

5. Defensive Line Struggles

Where was the pressure on Drew Brees in this game?

Yes, technically the Lions had two sacks, but in reality, Brees had all day to dissect Detroit and complete 26 passes.

Kyle Vanden Bosch recorded one tackle the entire game. Cliff Avril managed zero.

This season Detroit's defensive line has often been forgiven for their poor run defense because they were so vaunted with their pass rush.

But after this game, they just looked slow and constantly out of rhythm.

Nick Fairley made somewhat of a presence even with a bum foot, including one of those aforementioned sacks, but other than that, there were no standouts.

Drew Brees is good even when he is under pressure, but he is nearly unstoppable when he has all day to throw.

4. Defending Calvin Johnson

The Saints had a clear mission to start this game: deny Calvin Johnson the football.

Johnson did manage six catches for 69 yards, but he was a relative non-factor throughout.

He drew double teams and added coverage on nearly every play from scrimmage. On the goal-line, Johnson was even subject to press coverage from two defenders.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford still threw for over 400 yards even without a great game from Megatron, but shutting down the Lions best target was a huge benefactor to New Orleans' success, especially as Detroit attempted one of their patented second half comebacks.

Johnson now has only one touchdown in Detroit's last four games, and accordingly, the Lions have lost three of those contests.

3. Secondary Play

The Detroit Lions secondary has been a surprising bright spot this season, ranking sixth in the NFL with only 202 yards passing allowed per game.

But against the Saints, they were abysmal, giving up 342 yards and three touchdowns.

Eric Wright looked as if he didn't feel like playing while Robert Meachem spun him into the ground en route to a 67-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Meachem, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and Darren Sproles each had at least five receptions, and the Lions deflected only four passes all game.

The Saints passing attack put Detroit into a 24-7 halftime hole, one which they were never able to recover from.

2. Penalties

The Lions made stupid penalties on seemingly every possession of this game.

Whether it was Stefan Logan throwing a ball at an opposing player, Nate Burleson pushing off defenders or Brandon Pettigrew hitting a referee, Detroit's offense was always in reverse.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford attempted to compensate by throwing for 408 yards, but it was nowhere near enough.

Detroit's players looked undisciplined and incapable of keeping their composure, as yellow flags flew throughout the game.

It's tough to win any game when you commit 11 penalties for 107 yards, and it becomes exponentially hard when playing an offense as potent as the one in New Orleans.

1. Missed Opportunities

Even when the Lions were not committing stupid penalties, they were making mistakes that cost them the game.

Right before halftime, as Detroit attempted to build some momentum with a field goal, they allowed it to be blocked.

Later in the game, Matthew Stafford under-threw Calvin Johnson on what would have surely been a touchdown.

And Maurice Morris managed to drop a screen pass with at least 30 yards of open field in front of him.

If the Lions want to be considered an elite football team, then these are the types of mistakes that cannot happen. They have the talent to compete with the best, but now, they must find the discipline and resolve required to be great.