The Detroit Lions are heavy favorites against the Saints, but three costly mistakes could quickly turn a favorable matchup into a disappointing start to the season.
The NFL season officially begins tonight when the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener, but Detroit Lions fans will have to wait until Sunday to see their team take the field.
Detroit enters the game as a seven-point favorite over the New Orleans Saints. Being a seven-point favorite suggests the Lions should win comfortably, but they’ll only do so if they can avoid these three things.
1. Turn the Ball Over
The Lions cannot afford to fall behind early because of turnovers and miscues.
Last season, Detroit opened its season against the Green Bay Packers, and things did not go according to plan. It took just three drives for the Lions to throw an interception. Detroit started slowly and eventually found itself trailing 17-3.
The Lions appeared to be gaining some momentum late in the first half when they drove the ball down to the Green Bay 16-yard line with 1:12 remaining. However, Jared Goff threw an interception, killing Detroit’s momentum heading into halftime and putting the Lions in a difficult position.
Detroit went 3-4 last season in games in which Goff threw an interception. If the Lions can avoid giving the Saints extra opportunities and simply take care of the football, they should put themselves in a strong position to win.
2. Start Slow
Last season, the Lions had an abysmal opening drive against Green Bay, going three-and-out while gaining negative four yards.
Throughout the season, Detroit struggled to find the end zone on its opening possession in losses. In fact, the Lions went 5-1 when they scored a touchdown on their opening drive.
With new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing calling the plays, many eyes will be on Detroit’s offense to see how it comes out of the gate Sunday.
A fast start could be especially important against a Saints team the Lions are heavily favored to beat. Putting points on the board early would allow Detroit to play from ahead rather than putting itself in an unnecessary hole.
3. Failing to Convert on Fourth Down
We all know Dan Campbell is one of the most aggressive coaches in the NFL, particularly when it comes to fourth down.
If Detroit were to go 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts, that could mean three opportunities where the Lions potentially leave points on the board by passing up field-goal attempts or failing to extend drives.
Last season, Detroit went for it on fourth down 31 times and converted 18 of those attempts, a conversion rate of 58.1%.
If the Lions can stay around that 60% mark, I’m confident in Campbell continuing to be aggressive on fourth down. However, if Detroit struggles to convert, those failed attempts could become costly very quickly.
If Detroit can avoid these three things against the Saints this week, the Lions should be in a great position to walk away with a win.
