The New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions are looking for a bounce back performance in Week 13. Neither team has looked great over the last two weeks. Detroit was able to escape with a victory two weeks ago, the Saints weren’t as lucky. Both teams, however, lost to divisional rivals last week.
Looking to recover, both squads will lean on their star players. The matchups stem from the big name players executing to give their team the best chance to win. These are the 4 defining matchups in the Saints Week 13 matchup:
Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. Saints secondary
This is the best receiver the Saints has faced this year. St. Brown has only had less than 70 receiving yards once this season and hasn’t had less than 7 targets in any game this year. Not only is he productive, the Lions are going to feature him heavily. Paulson Adebo and Isaac Yiadom will need to play good coverage and tackle at the catch point. No matter how well they play, St. Brown won’t be taken out of the game plan.
Alvin Kamara vs. Alex Anzalone
Chris Olave has been a limited participant with a concussion protocol. He could surprisingly not miss a game due to concussion. If he is out, this matchup becomes even more important. Alvin Kamara is going to be an important part of this offense against the Lions.
New Orleans will need to run the ball well and he’ll be the first or second best option in the passing game. Michael Thomas is on injured reserve and Rashid Shaheed hasn’t practiced all week. Attention will be heavily placed on Alvin Kamara. His former teammate, Alex Anzalone, will be a big part of trying to contain Kamara. Anzalone is currently dealing with his own injury that could lead to him missing the game.
Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Demario Davis and Pete Werner
On the other side of the ball, the Lions have a young running back who was often compared to Kamara in the draft process. Jahmyr Gibbs is a dynamic who provides a major issue for the Saints linebackers, speed.
They struggled with outside runs when facing Bijan Robinson last week. Gibbs has the speed to get to the edge as well. The pressure will be on cornerbacks and defensive ends to set the edge, but Davis and Werner will need to run sideline to sideline this week. Saints will also have to watch him as a receiving threat.
Aidan Hutchinson vs. Ryan Ramczyk
Hutchinson has increased his pressure rate in his second year in the NFL. The former top five pick has the ability to wreck the game. His sack numbers don’t jump off the page, but he has gotten to the quarterback on a regular basis. Ryan Ramczyk is going to have have his work cut out for him. The Saints may work more quick passing game this week, but this is a matchup to watch on longer developing plays.
