Lions vs. Saints: Random Stats

I'm not going to lie, ladies and gentlemen. This game scares the heck out of me. The Detroit Lions are about to face the toughest offense they've faced all year. We all know what Drew Brees is capable of. Of course, we know what the Lions have been capable of this year, too. But Random Stats isn't about this year, it's about the past. So hop in the time machine. We're going back to the sixties to see how this all began.

How this all began

The Lions and Saints have only played each other 24 times throughout the years. The Saints currently hold the series lead with a 12-11-1 record against the Lions. This all started back in November of 1968 when Bill Munson led the Lions to a 20-20 tie against Billy Kilmer and the Saints at Tiger Stadium.

In the Big Easy

I love the city. I went there a few years ago for a bachelor party. Bourbon Street is a world all on its own, and it is surprisingly cheap. I spent less than $200 on food and booze the whole weekend #VacationValueStat. The Lions haven't had as fun a time there as I have though.They are 4-9 against the Saints in Superdome. One of those wins came last season though and spawned this gem.

Matthew Stafford absolutely nails the Ray Lewis dance on MNF pic.twitter.com/lHTEafeEG2

— Detroit Moments (@DetroitMoments) July 21, 2016

2011

When you think of rivalries the Lions have, you think of the NFC North rivals or the Cowboys. This has to be another one. And it starts with the two matchups they had during the 2011 season. The Saints rocked the Lions in both of those games. Since then, the Lions have come back and won the next two meetings. Sunday's game is something of a grudge match between two of the only quarterbacks to have thrown for 5,000 yards in a season.

Twitter Questions

@POD_Payton @PrideOfDetroit Total yards (or miles if it's a cleaner number) thrown by Saints and Lions QBs since 1993

— Lions:7-4, North:1st (@a_a_ron_att) December 1, 2016

1993 is sort of an odd year to start the counting from, but I'll bite. Since 1993, the Saints have thrown for 94,240 yards. That's 53.5 miles. The Lions have thrown for 84,139 yards. That's 47.8 miles. That's a little over the same distance as a drive from Detroit to Ann Arbor. Or  942.4 John Elway Vortex throws.

@POD_Payton @PrideOfDetroit total amount of passing yards drew Brees has on us in every game he has played against us (includes chargers)

— nick coleman (@themadchef29) December 1, 2016

Surprisingly he never played against the Lions when he was a Charger. The one chance he could have, he was hurt and Doug Flutie stepped in. Nevertheless, Brees has passed for 2,200 yards against the Lions altogether. That's about as much as your average college quarterback.

Bonus Stat: Matthew Stafford has thrown for 1,546 yards against the Saints. It's not the size of the passing yards, it's how you throw them, or something like that.

@POD_Payton @PrideOfDetroit Who has the most punting yards head to head?

— StevenAnthony (@stvschwnk) December 1, 2016

At first glance, I looked at this stat and said "there's no way I'm looking for this one." Then I became slightly obsessed with it. Then I ate a Little Debbie Swiss Roll. Then I spent an hour looking this stat up. Here's what I found: The Lions have more punt yards than the Saints. But not by much. The Lions have punted for 4,789 yards and the Saints have punted for 4,601 yards. That's 2.7 and 2.6 miles for the mile guy above.

What do you think Lions fans? What kind of stats are you looking for? Be sure to leave a comment below and I will give it a shot next week.