Here are three things to watch for from the Lions in New Orleans.
The Lions have hardly played a winning brand of football in recent weeks, and it cost them dearly on Thanksgiving against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
Detroit suffered its first NFC North divisional loss of the season in the holiday affair, and now will look to get back on track Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Here are three things to watch for from the Lions in the Week 13 contest.
Does Jared Goff clean things up?
If you’re a Lions fan, by now, you’ve heard all about Goff’s recent turnover woes.
He’s turned over the football a total of six times the last two weeks. He threw three interceptions in Week 11 vs. Chicago, and then lost three fumbles on Thanksgiving against Green Bay.
He made up for the interceptions against the Bears by leading the Lions to a comeback victory. However, he failed to make up for his reckless play against the Packers, ultimately costing Detroit dearly in the divisional matchup.
In fairness to Goff, over the past two weeks, the protection he’s received from his offensive line hasn’t been as strong, and it’s caused the veteran passer to be under constant duress. And, when Goff faces a significant amount of pressure, it’s been proven time and time again that he’s not as effective of a quarterback.
The Saints, which have allowed just 20.2 points per game this season (ninth-fewest in the league), have forced 14 interceptions up to this point. That mark ranks as the second-highest number of forced interceptions through the first 12 weeks of the campaign.
That’s a scary stat for Goff, who needs to bounce back in a big way Sunday in New Orleans. However, it’s also true that the Saints have produced a measly 18 sacks, the second-lowest number of sacks this season. So, Detroit should be better able to protect and keep Goff upright this weekend, and it should lead to a much cleaner and efficient performance from the eighth-year signal-caller.
