BREES PUTS UP BIG NUMBERS AS SAINTS BLAST LIONS

Drew Brees tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes, and the New Orleans Saints offense picked up where they left off last year as they routed the Detroit Lions 45-27 in the opening game of the NFL season for both teams.  Brees threw for 358 yards on 26 of 34 passing with one interception as the Saints built up a 28-10 halftime lead before coasting to victory.  The hapless Lions lost their 18th straight regular season game, which is the fourth longest run of futility in NFL history.  Overall they’re 1-24 in their last 25 games.

Despite the lopsided straight up victory by the Saints, the pointspread outcome was much closer.  NFL betting enthusiasts who chose to lay the -14 on New Orleans as home favorites didn’t have the game covered until a ‘meaningless’ Saints touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.  Eventually, the Saints topped the spread by a mere three points to improve their current run in the head to head series to 5-3 ATS.  The 72 points went well OVER the posted total of 50, and the result went against the recent form in games between the two teams.  5 of the last 8 games between Detroit and New Orleans have gone UNDER the total.

Sounding a frightening note for NFL defenses that have to line up against the Saints’ offense, Brees was more concerned about the opportunities that got away than he was pleased with a dominant performance:

"I had a lot of opportunities out there. A lot of guys made some big plays in this game. Unfortunately you always think about the ones that got away. There was probably one or two more that we left out there. That's what keeps you coming back."

Brees’ six touchdowns tied the mark previously set by Billy Kilmer back in 1969.  Tight end Jeremy Shockey was less restrained about his satisfaction with the performance.  Shockey scored his first touchdown since becoming a member of the Saints, eventually hauling in two Brees’ touchdown passes:

"It's good to get that asterisk off my name that I haven't ever scored a touchdown. Being around a guy like Drew makes it so easy out there because he works so hard. If I get there at 6:10, he's there at 6:05. He's that kind of a guy."

The Lions’ rookie QB Matthew Stafford made his share of inevitable rookie mistakes, but showed moments of impressive competence.  He finished with 205 yards on 16 of 35 passing, but threw three interceptions.  On the plus side, he led two solid touchdown drives and scored his first NFL touchdown on a short rush.  After the game, he noted the obvious—that the Saints aren’t a team to get into a ‘shootout’ with:

"It was tough. Playing from behind is never easy. Some of those balls I was throwing, I was just trying to get rid of it and not take a sack. ... I'm fine. I've thrown three picks in a game before. Obviously, I don't like to lose. I wish I could play better, but I've got to learn from it."

The Saints will now hit the road for their next two games.  They’ll head to Philadelphia for a game against the Eagles next Sunday, followed by a trip to Buffalo to play the Bills the following week.  They’ll return home on Sunday, October 4th to play the New York Jets.  The Lions will try to finally get in the win column as they play two tough games at home, hosting the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday and the Washington Redskins the following week.  They’ll travel to Chicago to face the Bears on Sunday, October 4th.