Our first NFC wild card game is a repeat from Week 13, when the Saints beat Detroit 31-17. The Saints got off to a 24-7 start, then withstood a small Detroit comeback in the third quarter. Remarkably, the Lions actually outgained the Saints in net yardage, 466 to 438. However, the Lions had fewer yards per play (6.8 vs. 7.2 for New Orleans), the game's only turnover, and a lot of penalties: 11 flags for 107 yards.
WHEN THE LIONS HAVE THE BALL

It's no secret that the passing game is now a bigger part of the NFL than ever before, and Detroit epitomizes this. Detroit ran the ball on a league-low 33 percent of plays, despite the fact that they won 10 games and thus had some time running out the clock. And no team uses shotgun more than Detroit, which went shotgun on 68 percent of plays this year. The Saints had a poor defense this year, and it was even worse when opposing quarterbacks were in shotgun. The Saints had 4.0% DVOA (19th) against quarterbacks under center, but 31.0% DVOA (29th) against quarterbacks in shotgun.
The Saints ranked 17th in DVOA against No. 1 receivers, which is a little bit better than their overall pass defense but not really something that gives you confidence in their ability to cover Calvin Johnson. Johnson had just 69 yards with no touchdowns in the first Saints-Lions game, and it's hard not to argue that this was the best-case scenario for the Saints. He should do better in their second meeting.