SPORTS

Live Lions blog: Final: Lions 28, Saints 13

Al Willman
The Detroit News
The Lions' Eric Ebron takes some air after an reception in the second quarter.

The Lions are 8-4.

No, you’re not seeing things.

With their 28-13 win over the Saints — their fourth in a row — the Lions remain atop the NFC North.

Matthew Stafford was 30-of-42 for 341 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also had three carries for 22 yards.

The Lions’ leading rusher, Zach Zenner, had nine carries for 40 yards — all in the second half.

Matt Prater was a career-high 5-for-5 (27, 29, 32, 27, 52) in field goal attempts.

For the Saints (5-7), Drew Brees had a forgettable day. He was 31-of-43 for 326 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

Mark Ingram (Grand Blanc) had seven carries for 37 yards, while Coby Fleener had five catches for 86 yards.

The Lions host the Chicago Bears (3-9) next Sunday at 1 p.m., though the game may be flexed because of the Lions’ playoff implications.

Two-minute warning: Lions up 15

Certainly most Lions fans won't breathe easy until the game is over, but Detroit is certainly in good position with a 15-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

At the two-minute warning, the Lions are up 28-13. New Orleans has one of its timeouts left, while Detroit has all three.

Wilson INT keeps Lions in driver's seat

Tavon Wilson's fourth quarter interception appears to have kept the Lions firmly in the driver's seat, with a 28-13 lead.

The pick was the second thrown by Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who is 22-of-33 for 236 yards and zero touchdowns.

For Wilson, it was his sixth interception of the season.

Prater sinks 52-yard FG, Lions up 28-13

Matt Prater is automatic.

His 52-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter made it 28-13.

Prater is now 5-for-5, which is a career-high.

Bad punt gives Lions good field position

The Lions, with solid defense, forced a three-and-out in the fourth quarter. A bad 19-yard punt from Thomas Morestead went out of bounds at the Detroit 46-yard line, where the Lions will start with a 25-13 lead.

The Lions, as pointed out by Fox broadcaster Chris Myers, have scored on six of their seven drives today.

Lions respond with big TD

A play after dropping a picture-perfect play-action pass from Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate caught a 66-yard throw that stayed up for about three seconds after Stafford was hit as he threw.

The touchdown, and missed two-point conversion, made it 25-13, still early in the fourth quarter.

Stafford is playing an outstanding game so far. He's 29-of-40 for 332 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions so far.

Saints get TD in 4Q

John Kuhn's 1-yard touchdown run made it a six-point game early in the fourth quarter.

The run was set up by a 8-yard pass from Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks, who was down inside the 1-yard line.

The Lions are up 19-13, and started the quarter with the lead for the first time all season.

Lions settle for FG, lead 19-6

After the turnover, the Lions marched from their own 48-yard line all the way to the Saints 9, but had to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Matt Prater.

Late in the third quarter, the Lions lead 19-6.

The Lions have 310 total yards and have had the ball for 29 minutes, 11 seconds -- more than double the 14:07 for the Saints.

Quin forces turnover with pick

Glover Quin continues to impress on defense, as is the status quo for the Lions.

His leaping interception in the third quarter ended a Saints drive that had yet to escape their own territory in five plays.

The Lions take over at their own 46-yard line with a 16-6 lead.

Prater makes 32-yard FG, Lions up 16-6

Matt Prater, much like his game against the Vikings in Minnesota last month, has been making longer field goals each time out.

Prater's third -- a 32-yard kick -- made it 16-6 early in the third quarter.

The Lions picked up a pair of key first downs on the drive. One was a result of a defensive holding penalty on Delvin Breaux. The other was a 36-yard catch by T.J. Jones -- which burned Breaux.

The Lions, despite the lead, need to start scoring touchdowns on their drives. Settling for field goals, while still points, won't work forever against a New Orleans offense with a quarterback like Drew Brees and all the offensive weapons the Saints employ.

Halftime: Lions 13, Saints 6

Wil Lutz's 32-yard field goal as time expired in the first half cut the lead for the Lions to 13-6.

But the Lions in the first half were, to put it bluntly, dominant.

Matthew Stafford's 19-of-23 passing for 175 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, led an offense that was on the field for more than 50 percent of the first half (18:35).

Stafford, at one point, had completed 14 passes in a row, and 16 of his first 17.

The Lions got their touchdown on a 1-yard catch from Theo Riddick, set up by passes of 35 yards (to Golden Tate) and 12 yards (to Anquan Boldin). Matt Prater (27, 29) made a pair of field goals, as well.

Defensively, the Lions have been stout. They've held the Saints to 137 yards and only five first downs from scrimmage. Conversely, the Lions have 13 first downs and 203 yards.

The Lions will start the second half with the ball.

Lions get FG late in half, lead 13-3

The Lions have been effective in several facets of the game today.

Two of those are time of possession and getting points on drives.

Matt Prater's 29-yard field goal late in the first half made it 13-3.

The Lions had the ball for 12 plays, taking four minutes, nine seconds. For the game, the Lions have had the ball for 18:35 to 10:36 for the Saints.

40-yard FG puts Saints on board in 2Q

A 40-yard field goal from Wil Lutz put the Saints on the board in the second quarter.

After starting in Lions territory, the Saints picked up a first down, but an offensive holding penalty made it first-and-20. The Lions defense sniffed out a screen pass on third-and-13, forcing the field goal attempt.

In the second quarter, the Lions have a 10-3 lead.

Lions punt, still up 10-0

The Lions went three-and-out for the first time midway through the second quarter, but still have a 10-0 lead.

On third-and-11, it looked like Theo Riddick had a lane, after a screen pass from Matthew Stafford, but he tripped four yards short of the first down.

The Saints will start the drive at the Lions 48-yard line, after a 24-yard return from Tommylee Lewis.

Saints punt for third time

The Saints, on their third drive, managed to pick up a first down, but that was it. The drive stalled well short of midfield, and the Saints punted for the third time in as many drives.

The Lions have effectively rushed quarterback Drew Brees, forcing him to make throws under pressure, and have done well in pass coverage, keeping the shutout intact. But one wonders if the Saints, for as many weapons as they employ offensively, are just starting out flat.

Early in the second quarter, the Lions are ahead 10-0, and will start their next drive at their own 13-yard line after a 47-yard punt from Thomas Morestead.

Lions get TD to start 2Q

On the Lions' second drive, Matthew Stafford picked apart the Saints defense, leading to a 1-yard touchdown pass to Theo Riddick.

The Lions marched 92 yards in 11 plays, taking 7:25 off the clock.

Without No. 1 receiver Marvin Jones (thigh), the pass game has had to rely on quick routes and screen plays.

But tell that to Golden Tate, whose 35-yard reception gave the Lions a first down at the Saints' 13-yard line. The next play, a 12-yard pass to Anquan Boldin, nearly found paydirt -- but Boldin was ruled down inside the 1. Then Stafford connected with Riddick in the flat to add to the Lions' lead.

Early in the second quarter, the Lions are up 10-0. The Lions have a massive advantage in time of possession. They've had the ball for 12 minutes and 34 seconds, while the Saints have had it only 4:23.

Lions force second three-and-out

The Lions defense has come to play so far in New Orleans.

For the second straight drive, the Saints went three-and-out. It looked like the Saints would go for it on fourth-and-1, but it was only an attempt to get the Lions to jump offsides. That didn't happen, and the Saints were forced to take the delay of game penalty, bringing up fourth-and-6.

Thomas Morestead's 50-yard punt was downed at Detroit's 8-yard line, where the Lions will start with a 3-0 lead.

Prater good from 27, Lions lead 3-0

Matt Prater's 27-yard field goal gave the Lions a 3-0 lead on their first drive of the game.

The drive, extended by a heads-up pass from Matthew Stafford to Andre Roberts after Stafford was nearly sacked. It was extended again after Stafford connected with T.J. Jones, who nearly tipped the ball into a pick-six.

The Saints will start at their own 25-yard line, after Sam Martin's kickoff went into the end zone.

Lions get early stop

The Lions benefitted from a bad snap from the Saints on the first drive, causing Saints quarterback Drew Brees to be flagged for intentional grounding.

The Lions, after the three-and-out, will start from their own 47 in a scoreless game.

DETROIT LIONS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans

TV / radio: Fox / 97.1 FM

Records: Lions 7-4, Saints 5-6

Line: Saints by 6

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