To say that things haven't exactly gone as planned this season for both the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions would be an understatement.
Lions vs. Saints 2015, ‘Monday Night Football’ preview: New Orleans, Detroit try to salvage season with primetime win
The Lions have already clinched their 13th losing season in the past 15 years. The Saints are one loss away from their third sub-.500 campaign in the last four years.
While neither were Super Bowl favorites, few predicted they’d be sitting in the cellar of their respective divisions and jockeying to avoid a top-five pick in the draft in the middle of December. Yet, that is exactly where the Lions and Saints find themselves heading into their Monday Night Football matchup at the Superdome.
The Lions were arguably the worst team in the league for the first half of the season. Through Week 8 they were last in win percentage, second-to-last in point differential and tied for last in turnover margin. They came out of their bye on fire, though, winning three games in a row against some impressive competition -- the Packers, Raiders and Eagles.
Suddenly, there was optimism in Motown for the first time all season. That was, until the Lions suffered one of the most gut-wrenching losses in recent memory -- a 27-23 defeat by the Packers in Week 13 on a last-second Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers. The knockout blow was then delivered last Sunday by the Rams, who handed the Lions their ninth loss of the season and officially eliminated them from postseason contention.
The Saints have followed a similar pattern of extreme highs and lows this season. They lost four of their first five games, then ripped off a surprising three-game win streak in October against the Falcons, Colts and Giants. Like the Lions, though, that mini-hot streak was more of a mirage than something to build on. New Orleans dropped its next four games before rebounding with a win over the Buccaneers in Week 14.
Still, the Saints can salvage a .500 record by winning out against the Lions, Jaguars and Falcons. That is what it will take for the franchise to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the disastrous Mike Ditka era in the late 1990s.
Digits
At 4-9 after losing to the Rams last Sunday, the Lions clinched yet another sub-.500 campaign. It is their 13th losing season since 2001, matching the Cleveland Browns for the most in the NFL during this stretch. They've also been one of the most unstable organizations over the last decade and a half, with four times as many head coaches (eight) as playoff appearances (two) in that span.
It should be no surprise that they’ve struggled in the national spotlight, too. The Lions are 2-11 in prime time games over the last 15 seasons, the worst record of any team. Their last win at night on the road was Oct. 19, 2000, at Tampa Bay, and their last Monday Night Football road victory was Sept. 19, 1994, at Dallas.
At 5-8, the Saints are marginally better than the Lions this season, but like Detroit, have already been eliminated from the playoffs. The obvious problem this season has been a horrible defense that ranks last in points and first downs per game, as well as yards per play. Thanks to a solid effort last Sunday, they’ve somehow managed to climb out of the cellar in total yards allowed per game (414.8), barely edging out the New York Giants (423.0).
Although they had a respectable showing in Week 14 against the Buccaneers, their pass defense is still on pace to make history ... in a bad way, of course. The Saints have surrendered 36 pass touchdowns, four shy of the NFL record set by the 1963 Broncos. Opposing quarterbacks have posted an unsightly passer rating of 114.2 this season. To put that in perspective, last year's MVP Aaron Rodgers finished with a rating of 112.2.
Who to Watch
There is little debate about Calvin Johnson’s value on the football field as one of the league’s best receivers. That’s why it is so baffling to see the Lions sometimes decide to ignore him for large portions of a game. Last Sunday he was targeted just five times and, if not for a single reception with less than three minutes remaining, he would have posted the first catchless game of his career.
Considering the sad state of the Saints’ secondary, they’d be smart to get Megatron involved in the offense as much as possible on Monday night. The Lions are 0-5 this season when he gets fewer than nine targets. Johnson is averaging 107 receiving yards per game in their four wins, and 61.4 yards in their nine losses.
How to Watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online: WatchESPN
Odds
The Saints are 3-point favorites and the over/under is 50.5, according to OddsShark.com.
Preliminary Judgment
The experts at CBS Sports are heavily favoring the home team in this game, with seven of the eight guys taking the Saints. The same is true at ESPN, where the entire 13-man panel is going with the Saints. However, our crew at SB Nation is split down the middle. Four (including the OddsShark computer) are picking Detroit, while four think New Orleans will win.
Further Reading
For more on the Lions, head over to Pride of Detroit. To read about the Saints, check out Canal Street Chronicles.
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