The Detroit Lions earned a 33-28 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 13, but it was a far closer contest than the Lions would have liked. The team led 21-0 with 8:15 remaining in the first quarter and then proceeded to let the Saints slowly get back into the game. New Orleans made it as close as 24-21 before the Lions pulled away again in the fourth quarter.
While winning was a positive for Detroit, there were still numerous concerns for the Lions. These are the biggest worries for the Lions from Week 13.
Taking their foot off the gas after a fast start
The Lions got the fast start they were looking for in Week 13, scoring touchdowns on each of their first three drives to open up a 21-0 lead less than halfway through the first quarter. But after that, the Lions managed just a pair of field goals on their next six drives, allowing the Saints to get within three points in the third quarter.
New Orleans then had the ball with a chance to take the lead, but it was luck rather than a play made by the Detroit defense that proved to be the momentum-swinger. A Saints running play resulted in the pulling left guard James Hurst accidentally punching the ball free from Derek Carr's hands. The Lions capitalized, recovering the fumble and scoring on the very next play. Even with the subsequent injury to Carr on the next drive, Detroit still failed to capitalize on its momentum, allowing the QB duo of Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston to lead the Saints down the field and score a touchdown, bringing the home side within five points.
If there was one positive in the fourth quarter, it was Jared Goff's ability to convert two consecutive third-and-longs in the fourth quarter to ice the game. But it should never have come to that point for the visiting team after building an early 21-0 lead.
Secondary showing signs of weakness
The New Orleans Saints came into this game ranking in the bottom half of the league in scoring, but you would not have known it by watching this game from the second quarter onward.
Detroit intercepted Derek Carr's first pass attempt, but from the second quarter on, the Lions allowed Carr to complete 16-17 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. Carr's final passer rating on the afternoon was 105.5. After failing to score on their first four drives, the Saints reached the end zone three times on their next four possessions. Saints wideout Chris Olave finished with a season-high 119 receiving yards, while Alvin Kamara's 58 yards in the air were his second-highest total on the year.
If not for the aborted snap to open the fourth quarter, the Saints would likely have driven down the field and scored again against a helpless Lions secondary. This comes a week after Detroit allowed 268 passing yards against Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. The Lions will need to figure out how to stop the passing game if they want to beat the NFC's elite teams in the playoffs.
Ineffectiveness on the ground from Gibbs and Montgomery
It was a solid afternoon for the Lions rushing attack, as Detroit recorded 30 carries for 142 to further boost its season average to 137.3 rushing yards per game. But for David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, it could hardly be considered a productive game. Montgomery averaged 3.1 yards per carry on 18 attempts and finished with 56 rushing yards, his second-lowest total of the season. As for Gibbs, the rookie had eight carries for 60 yards, but outside a 36-yard rush in the first quarter, he also averaged less than four yards per attempt. Combined Gibbs and Montgomery's stats, and minus that 36 jaunt, the Detroit backfield duo averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt.
This game appears to be an outlier, but the lack of rushing efficiency stymied the Lions offense for much of the game.
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