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Lions at Saints
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Kirwan: Lions-Saints breakdown

Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford boast video game numbers, but who'll prevail on Saturday? Pat Kirwan examines. More ...
The Lions enter this weekend's wild-card round as the feel-good story trying to embark on a civic-saving journey -- like the Saints did for New Orleans just a couple seasons ago. But Detroit immediately encounters the unenviable task of slowing down the league's hottest team.

New Orleans knocked off Detroit 31-17 in Week 13, but the game was much closer than the final score indicated. The Saints contained Calvin Johnson in that game, and they'll look to keep him out of the end zone once again, or at least minimize his scores.

Saints' corners Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter don't get enough credit for not only being solid cover men but also being fearless. To keep New Orleans' defense honest, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford will need to lean on tight end Brandon Pettigrew and wideouts Nate Burleson and Titus Young -- since those players will be frequently singled up.

The issue for Detroit is slowing down the Saints. The Lions were scorched by Green Bay's backups last week. Although their pride will bring about a better showing, New Orleans is more diverse. The Saints offer a much better running game, and tight end Jimmy Graham draws so much attention it frees up outside threats like Marques Colston, who is killing it right now.

And we can't forget about one of the toughest matchups in the NFL: Darren Sproles. No one has figured out a way to limit his impact thus far -- and neither will the Lions.

www.sportsshooter.com/johnjcoleman

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