How to watch Saints vs. Lions 2014 online: Time, TV schedule and live stream

The Saints travel to Ford Field needing a victory to stay afloat in the NFC South.

Oct 19, 2014, 1:00 PM UTC

Chris Graythen

The New Orleans Saints head to Detroit on Sunday to face the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions. Coming of a bye, the Saints hope to reroute a mostly disappointing season.

After narrowly defeating the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5, the Saints entered their off week looking to retool and get healthy. Rob Ryan's defense, one of the better units in the NFL a year ago, has performed poorly all season. The loss of prized free agent safety Jairus Byrd only makes Ryan's job harder moving forward. Tight end Jimmy Graham's status is up in the air after he injured his shoulder against the Bucs. Saints quarterback Drew Brees may have a tough day against one of the league's premier defenses if he is without his top option.

Detroit, meanwhile, has had a confusing season thus far. Despite the offensive firepower of Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush, the Lions possess one of the worst scoring offenses in the NFL. However, a defense that was inconsistent a year ago with a multitude of issues in the defensive backfield has now developed into one of the league's most feared groups. If the Lions' offense becomes even a league-average unit, they may challenge for more than just a playoff berth.

While he hasn't played poorly, it has been a down season for Brees. He has tossed only nine touchdowns against a staggering six interceptions through five games. After Graham, the top receiver for New Orleans is rookie Brandin Cooks, who has 255 receiving yards to lead all wideouts on the team.

The big plays that have characterized the Lions’ offense haven’t been there through six weeks. The play of Stafford has been largely responsible. At his current pace, Stafford will miss the 20-touchdown mark for the first time since 2010, a year in which he played only three games. In the backfield, not a single rusher with more than 20 carries is averaging 4.0 yards per carry or more.