4. Lions’ Offense Came Up Short In Key Moments

After getting off to a hot start offensively with 14 quick points, the Lions slowed down substantially. They were forced to punt after allowing a sack on 3rd down during their third possession of the game and then Matthew Stafford threw an interception from inside the red-zone.

Instead of bouncing back before halftime, the Lions punted two more times. Detroit failed to get into much of a rhythm— producing a three-and-out and failing to connect on a pass on 3rd & 12. Coming up empty in the whole second quarter made it tough on Detroit to execute a comeback.

The Saints made things even more difficult on the Lions’ offense by scoring a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half. Detroit used a favorable defensive pass interference call to set up their first touchdown of the second quarter.

Facing a 35-21 deficit entering the fourth quarter, the Lions needed perfection every chance they had to touch the football. They punted on their initial fourth-quarter drive— proving to put them out of reach from potentially pulling off a win in the end.