The Recap - Saints Vs Lions Week 13

Ethen Meyers • December 3, 2023

The Recap- Saints Vs Lions


Saints lose Derek Carr to injury yet again, and lose at home welcoming more boo birds to enter the dome that was dominated by blue.


Team Stats 


(Saints/Lions)


Final Score: 28-33

First downs: 23-18

3rd down efficiency: 6/12 - 6/13

Total yards: 362 - 347

Red Zone Efficiency: 4/4 - 3/5

Penalties: 6 for 50 yards- 6 for 45 yards

Turnovers: 2 - 0

Time of possession: 32:10 - 27:50


Takeaways 

  • The red zone offense took a huge leap going 4/4.
  • The defense is becoming just as inconsistent as the offense.
  • Derek Carr is playing banged up.
  • Winston gives hope, not a better outcome.
  • Staff not quite sure when or how to use the weapons we have.


Offense

        The Saints offense looked slow, and sad. Then out of nowhere they put points on the board. Saints HC Allen said that he feels they are explosive as an identity and the one thing that shocked today was their 100% success rate in the red zone. Derek Carr has struggled in the red zone his entire career, you as a coaching staff have to recognize that and make changes, today it felt like they did. Unfortunately, the Saints had two costly turnovers that took the energy out of the ball and the building and the offense could never finish the comeback they mounted out of the half. This game wasn't atrocious for the offense, which means no changes are likely and we will be finishing the season with the pieces in place minus any injuries/lingering issues for Carr. Carr finished the game in the locker room with more concussion and shoulder issues.

Defense

        Our defense is what felt like would keep us relevant this season, and while they are still playing well, they seem to be tapering off. I have made comments a few times that I fully expect this defense to start slacking off, despite what felt easy touchdowns they did give up I feel despite giving up 33, the defense did enough to win this week and the offense couldn't get it done. We will see if the defense continues to trend down, but for now I think they are good enough to win games, even in the playoffs.

Saints Stock Exchange (Sponsored By… Nobody)


Just a quick hit section each week to highlight which Saints players/staff have their stock value increasing and decreasing after each game, 3 up and 3 down:


Stock Up


  • Taysom Hill
  • Alvin Kamara
  • Nephi Sewell


        Olave did everything you expected your best receiver to do today, but that is the primary reason I excluded him. This was a game where we leaned on AK and Hill a lot, and it paid off. It was an interesting choice to exclude Hill in 2 of the final 3 plays after he picked up 4 on first down. We had plenty of time, timeouts left, and the ball. All we really needed to do was put our feet in the ground which is something they did all day. As far as Sewell, he had a couple of sneaky good plays, admittedly I didn't know much about him coming in, but when you heard his name it was for good reasons.


Stock Down

  • Lou Hedley
  • Alontae Taylor
  • Zack Baun


        I do not think much needs to be said about Hedley, while numbers will tell you he has done the same or better as who he replaced, that does not mean he is doing well. There is a reason he replaced someone, and I fully expect him to be out of a job with the Saints come of the offseason. I am a huge fan of Taylor, but man was today rough. He seemed to take bad angles, and miscommunicate a few times which led to big plays for the Lions. Zack Baun mostly got beat today, but I don't fully blame him. Baun came in for Werner who is versatile and seemed to show he is more of an edge player, versus a versatile linebacker. The reason that Sewell came in was partially for coverage situations, which may have been something the coaches decided on the fly seeing Baun struggle away from the line of scrimmage.



Conclusion 

The Saints have had multiple opportunities to win the games we have lost. This was the first one that felt like it was going to be an embarrassing loss but the Saints made it a game once again. A part of me wishes it would have been am embarrassing loss, purely because it would have at least sparked something. A players only meeting seemed to turn the Pels around, but no such turnaround has happened or appears to be in sight.


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Week 2 Preview: LA Tech at LSU

By Hunter Sheffield • September 12, 2026
Death Valley awaits our arrival... 

Saints Pregame Guide: Lions

By Kaden Arkeder • September 11, 2026
It is week one folks, we made it to the 2026 season! This is the first season in a while where personally I feel optimistic going into the season thanks to Tyler Shough and what the Saints were able to show at the end of the 2025 season. Coupled with what the Saints did in the offseason in free agency and the draft the Saints and Saints fans should feel like the team has a real shot at winning the division and making the playoffs. Their first obstacle they will have to overcome on their path to accomplishing the goal is the Detroit Lions. The Lions will prove to be a good litmus test for the Saints in week one. The Lions have been a championship contender the last few years under the stewardship of Dan Campbell and will look to continue their fortune by taking care of business at home against the Saints. The Saints however are not facing the Lions at their peak as they finished last season with a 9-8 win loss record after being a double digit win team the two prior seasons. The Lions will also not have at least two key players in their secondary as both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are on injured reserve while two of their corners are on the injury report albeit listed as full participants as I am writing this. So the Saints will look to capitalize through the passing game with those key players out for this matchup. I expect Chris Olave to be targeted early and often in this game and for the role players around him to come up big on some key plays throughout the game. Speaking of role players I am curious to see if either or both of the rookie receivers in Barion Brown and Bryce Lance have any big moments in the game after having a great offseason and preseason. Outside of the rookie receivers I am curious to see if Juwan Johnson will be able to build on the productive season he had last year. With the absence of Jordyn Tyson to begin the season there should be plenty of opportunity for targets in the passing game outside of Chris Olave’s share. In regards to the running game I expect the Saints to give Etienne a heavy workload against the Lions if Kamara is not active for the game but there is optimism Kamara is ahead of schedule and could play against the Lions. I will be very interested to see how Etienne does in his debut with the team and how he will be utilized in the offense. There was talk during training camp the Saints have a package with both Etienne and Kamara on the field so if both are active I will be keeping an eye out for that personnel package. The Saints will look to start off the season strong on the ground after being one of the least effective teams running the ball last season. Hopefully the addition of David Edwards and Etienne combined with Kellen Moore along with most of the players being in year two of Kellen Moore’s system will aid them in running the ball better this season. Adin Hutchinson will look to be the main challenge the offensive line will face against the Lions defensive line as he had a standout 2025 campaign with 14.5 sacks along with an interception. If the Saints young tackles in Kelvin Banks and Taliese Fuaga are able to hold up well against Hutchinson they should be able to hold up well against the best edge rushers for the rest of the season. On the defensive side of the ball this will be very much a good challenge for them as the Lions have some marquee players on offense the defense will be tasked with slowing down. Amon Ra St. Brown and Jhamyr Gibbs are the two skill position players to key in on for the Saints in this game but role players like Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams can absolutely be a difference maker for the Lions on any given Sunday. I think my two favorite matchups on this side of the ball will be watching Chase Young against Penei Sewell and the Saints young secondary against Amon Ra St. Brown. Chase Young had ten sacks in twelve games last season and will look to continue this success against one of the league’s best tackles in Penei Sewell. Unfortunately his running mate in Cameron Jordan will be unavailable in this game so look for a steady rotation at edge opposite of Chase Young throughout the game. Amon Ra St. Brown is the type of receiver Jared Goff looks for early and often throughout the game and can be moved around their offensive formations even though he plays primarily in the slot. How the Saints plan to contain or slow down Amon Ra will be fascinating to watch. Overall, I expect this to be a close game between the Saints and Lions where both teams should have ample opportunities to put up points against each other. There are so many little story lines to follow as the Saints start the regular season and in this game I can’t wait to follow. Week one usually has a fair amount of chaos to the games so you can never discount a crazy outcome here or elsewhere throughout the league. There should be plenty to discuss coming out of week one. Alright enough from me, talk to you all on the other side and geaux Saints! Injury Designations Lions DB - Christian Izien - Questionable Saints TE - Oscar Delp - OUT Edge - Cameron Jordan - OUT RB - Audric Estime - OUT RB - Alvin Kamara - Questionable
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