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On Monday Night Football in Week 14, the Detroit Lions (4-9) head on the road to take on the New Orleans Saints (5-8) in the Superdome. While both teams are unlikely to have any shot at the postseason at this point, that doesn't mean that Monday won't feature some great football on both sides. We've seen both the Lions and the Saints put together three-game winning streaks this season, so it's obvious that both have plenty of talent.
The battle between Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees should be fun to watch, as both have no problem slinging it around and hitting their top receivers in Calvin Johnson and Brandin Cooks. Stafford and Brees have both topped 24 touchdowns this season, while Johnson and Cooks have seven touchdowns a piece as well.
Here are three keys to the game for both the Lions and the Saints.
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1. Get Calvin Johnson involved early
The Lions won't win if they don't put the ball in the hands of their best offensive player. In last week's loss to the St. Louis Rams, wide receiver Calvin Johnson's only catch of the game came with less than 2:30 in the fourth quarter. Megatron has been limited to four receptions over the last two weeks, and the Lions have gone 0-2 during that stretch. Detroit will drop a third straight, if he's not involved early against the Saints this weekend.
2. Keep riding an improved running game
Detroit once was pathetic on the ground, but they've improved markedly in recent weeks. After eclipsing 100 yards rushing as a team just once in the first nine games of the season, the Lions have met that mark in each of their past four outings. They have to stay committed to the running game in Week 15. Otherwise, the Lions will find themselves on the wrong side of a shootout with Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
3. Patrol the deep secondary with both safeties
Few quarterbacks throw a more accurate deep ball than New Orleans' Drew Brees, and he has a plethora of pass-catchers who can go downfield and haul them in. Brees has thrown 56 passes longer than 20 yards this season, and wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead have caught 26 of them (13 each). In order to defend these two, the Lions need both free safety Glover Quin and whoever is playing strong safety -- whether it's Isa Abdul-Quddus or James Ihedigbo -- to protect against long passes.
1. The Tim Hightower show
While the Saints are without both Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson, that doesn't mean they won't run the ball. The proof comes from Week 14, when New Orleans ran it 28 times with Tim Hightower, resulting in 85 yards and a touchdown. While Hightower didn't run wild, he fought hard and earned every yard along the way. This led to New Orleans controlling the clock, which will obviously be important. To top it off, the Lions have allowed 14 rushing touchdowns this season, tied for the second-most in the NFL.
2. Generate pressure on Stafford
While the Saints rank No. 23 in the NFL with 25 sacks this season, Stafford has been sacked 35 times this year, tied for the fifth-most in the league. The Saints have seen 11 players register at least half of a sack this year, so it's obvious they can get pressure from different directions. The main player to watch though will be Cameron Jordan, who has eight sacks on the year.
3. Utilize Benjamin Watson
It's obvious that Brees is going to throw the ball around, as it's just the way New Orleans plays, but one of his top targets should absolutely be Watson. The Lions have allowed 65 receptions for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns this season to opposing tight ends. When the Saints get into the red zone, Watson should be the man to watch for. Don't be surprised if we see Watson tack on to his already impressive 2015 campaign that features 61 catches, 712 yards and four touchdowns.
