Detroit Lions stunned by the New Orleans Saints, 52-38

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 15: Alex Okafor #57 of the New Orleans Saints forces a fumble on Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 15, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 15: Alex Okafor #57 of the New Orleans Saints forces a fumble on Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 15, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Detroit Lions were defeated by the New Orleans Saints at home on Sunday in a 52-38 pummeling, dropping the Motor City to a 3-3 record.

Prior to Sunday’s matchup with the New Orleans Saints, a real argument could be made that the Detroit Lions could be undefeated and considered the top team in the NFL. Any such Illusions of grandeur all but disappeared after their visit to Louisiana in Week Six.

The Lions suffered a 52-38 defeat at the hands of the Saints over the weekend. Midway through the third quarter, New Orleans was up a ridiculous 45-10 before Detroit came scratching and clawing their way back into the contest scoring 28 points in the second half.

But it wasn’t enough as poor offensive line play, a lack of defense and turnovers had done more damage than another fourth quarter comeback could repair.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed only 25 of his whopping 52 passes in this game. Stafford ended the day throwing for 312 yards for three touchdowns and three interceptions. But it was his lost fumbles, one that resulted in the Saints first score of the game, that really hurt his team.

Running back Ameer Abdullah rushed for 54 yards on 14 carries. But the bulk of that yardage came on a 34-yard run. Wide receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones made some spectacular plays against the Saints. And both recorded 96 receiving yards and a score each. Tight end Darren Fells also had a receiving touchdown, after splashing twice in Week Five.

On defense, A’Shawn Robinson recorded seven total tackles and had an incredible interception for a touchdown late in the game. Rookie linebacker Jarrad Davis led the team with eight total tackles. Cornerback Darius Slay also recorded an interception, his third in six games.

Next: Detroit Lions - Offensive line investments yielding poor returns

After the disappointing loss in New Orleans, the 3-3 Detroit Lions now head into their bye week. This break will allow them to get healthy and prepared to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rare Sunday Night matchup in primetime in Week Eight.