Lions vs. Saints: Drew Brees, Saints Outclass an Undisciplined Lions Team

Despite a stagnant performance by the New Orleans Saints' offense in the second half, Drew Brees and company continued their success in prime time, winning for the second straight week against a tough NFC opponent.

The Saints defeated the Detroit Lions 31-17 in a game littered with penalties and unnecessary roughness calls.

Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew even pushed a referee after a run-in with Roman Harper in the fourth quarter. The ridiculously bone-headed play capped off a performance that Detroit will want to forget—and soon.

Even though QB Matthew Stafford threw for more yards than Brees and the Lions had a time of possession advantage (35:04 to 24:56), Detroit shot itself in the foot too many times and the Saints took advantage.

The black and gold captured the lead on their second drive of the night and never let the Lions gain a footing in the matchup. Even so, Detroit had its chances because of some sloppy play by the Saints' defense.

With about 20 seconds remaining in the first half, the Saints' defense let Titus Young gain 49 yards on a reception. Luckily, Patrick Robinson, the speedy New Orleans cornerback, was able to drag him out of bounds at the 24-yard line.

After an incomplete pass in the end zone, Hanson lined up for a 42-yard field goal.

On the kick, Robinson sprinted around the edge to block the field goal and make up for the defensive miscue he committed minutes earlier.

The Saints may have come out victorious last night, but they looked pretty shaky in the process.

Brees continued his stellar play, completing 26-of-36 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns, but the defense looked downright terrible at times. Granted, they only allowed 17 points, but some of that had to do with the Lions being undisciplined.

Detroit had first downs erased because of offensive pass interference calls on multiple occasions. The team finished with 11 penalties for 107 yards.

Don't get me wrong, the Saints played pretty well, but for a team that has Super Bowl ambitions, the defense needs to improve.

A late-season meltdown by the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers would still give the Saints home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The black and gold were fortunate to be in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome last night because if the game was played in Detroit, we still might be stuck on eight wins.

At 9-3, the Saints are perched atop the NFC South and have a good opportunity to capture that title for the second time in three years.

The game against the Lions proved that the Saints can win ugly—but isn’t it more fun to watch when they score 49 or 63 points?