When it comes to playing football, you’re always going to have a handful of explosive players that are bedazzling to watch. When it comes to winning games, it always comes down to a team effort.

Even the Saint’s star quarterback, Drew Brees, upon reflecting on breaking the all time passing record in one season, is quick to accept that no man is an island: “…this record isn’t about one person, it might be just one name that goes in the ledger under the record, but it’s really about the team.”

So when the Detroit Lions come to the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans to face the Saints for the NFL wildcard weekend, it’s going to be interesting to see how the teams match up this time around. Let’s remember that it’s the second game this season these two organizations play against each other, the first was on Dec. 4th that ended in a 31 to 17 win for the Saints.

But are there two different teams heading into Saturday’s game? They most certainly are, let’s take a look shall we…

As for the Detroit Lions:

On Offense:  The Lions have proven that they can come back from being behind in the scoreboard and win games; even if that means that they have to hustle like mad men on a mission to do so. QB Matthew Stafford has shown us his ability to lead his team to victory allowing them to become the first franchise is National Football League history to come back from four 13-point deficits in the same season.

Wide receivers Titus Young and Nate Burleson will be playing, taking some pressure off big man Calvin Johnson, one of the league’s elite receivers with a career record of 355 receptions for 5,628 yards and 48 touchdowns. “We’re prepared for a lot of offense this game. I like to think of it as not us going into a shootout with Brees, but us being able to go out every drive and move the ball.” Johnson wrote on this blog. “If we move the ball, we’re going to get explosives, which turns into points for us. As long as we’re moving the ball, we’re going to have success. Just no dumb penalties – you can’t take explosives away with penalties. That kills me.”

On Defense: The Lions’ star defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, is back; so is rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who dominated against the Saints last game with three tackles and a sack before leaving with an injury after the first quarter.

Safety Louis Delmas is also returning and Coach Jim Schwartz believes him to be one of the cornerstones of the Lion’s defensive game.  Delmas' presence should help the Lions pass defense that could struggle against the Saints’ high octane offense led by Drew Brees.

As for the New Orleans Saints:

On Offense: There’s no denying that what Drew Brees has done this season is nothing short of amazing. Brees finished the season with seven straight 300-yard passing games -- his 5,476 yards this year broke Dan Marino's 27-year-old NFL record -- and completed more than 63% of his passes in 15 of 16 games.

Running back Chris Ivory will be taking the field once again. In the Saints’ victory again the Panthers, Ivory rushed for 127 on 19 carries so he’s definitely going to be a factor if he plays well once again. The Saints have broken all sorts of offensive records this season, including the NFL record for total yards gained in a season (7,474) and most points at home in a season (329); New Orleans is 8-0 at home, possibly giving them the edge both on offense and defense.

On Defense: The most points the defense has given up in the last six weeks has been 20 points. It’s been a big part of them playing so well this season. Coach Sean Payton’s defensive unit have their hands full with Lion’s receiver Calvin Johnson, their strategy will be to put as much coverage as needed to avoid him making big plays.

New Orleans is expecting to keep their defensive mojo intact for this game; over the last 8 games the defense has allowed an impressive average of only 18.75 points per game. And, they’ve played hard when it counts, notably on third down, only allowing 33.17% of thirds down to be converted by their opponents.

The Lions’ team clearly comes in healthier and perhaps meaner than last time around; all things considered, these teams are fairly matched up. It’s clear that there’s a storm a brewing at the Superdome where both Lions and Saints fans are in for a great show.

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