Looking ahead to Lions' next opponent: New Orleans Saints

Next up for the Detroit Lions is a home game against the New Orleans Saints. Here's an early look at the Saints:

New Orleans Saints (2-3)

Schedule so far

Week 1 - at Falcons - lost, 37-34 (OT)
Week 2 - at Browns - lost, 26-24
Week 3 - vs. Vikings - won, 20-9
Week 4 - at Cowboys - lost, 38-17
Week 5 - vs. Buccaneers - won, 37-31 (OT)

Reason for optimism

Once thought of as Super Bowl contenders, the Saints have looked like anything but that so far this season. Their only wins have come in home games against the Vikings and Buccaneers, and they needed overtime to get by Tampa Bay. Statistically speaking, the Saints still have a pretty high-powered offense, but the Lions' biggest strength right now is their defense, and it looks like Jimmy Graham will be out this week. Given New Orleans' struggles on defense, this actually looks like a pretty bad matchup for them.

Reason for pessimism

The Saints are coming off a bye week, meaning they have had extra time to prepare for this game. And as bad as they have looked at times this season, there is still a lot of talent on the Saints' roster, and Drew Brees is still an extremely dangerous quarterback. Given that Kyle Orton had a lot of success against the Lions in their last home game, it certainly wouldn't be surprising if Brees has a big game and leads the Saints to an upset victory.

Storyline to watch

So far, the Lions' 2014 season has followed the same script as the 2013 season from a wins and losses standpoint. Just like last year, the Lions won their season-opening game at home before losing on the road the next week. The Lions then responded with two straight wins before dropping their fifth game, and they then won on the road to improve to 4-2. Last year, the Lions came home in Week 7 and lost a heartbreaking game to the Bengals. This year, with a chance to go to 5-2, the Saints are coming to town. Hopefully the Lions will break this pattern with a win this week.

Additional info

For more on the Saints, check out Canal Street Chronicles.