Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. New Orleans 21 at Detroit 26 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New Orleans Saints: Aaron Brooks had a bit of a rough outing, going 27/48 for 269 yards and 2 TD's. He fumbled once and threw two interceptions, with his fumble being recovered and returned for a TD and one interception leading to a Lion field goal. Brooks played very poorly in the first half. The Detroit secondary covered the Saints receivers well early on. The Lions pass rush also put constant pressure on Brooks almost every pass play, with Robert Porcher almost bringing Brooks down in the endzone for a safety. Brooks looked somewhat better in the second half but seemed out of rhythm for most of the day, colliding with Deuce McAllister in the backfield during a play action pass, and missing his timing with his receivers on several plays. RB Deuce McAllister continued to be a fantasy force with a 128 total yards and a touchdown. Best of all, the staff felt enough confidence in him to keep running him while behind. The Saint secondary looked awful in the first half, letting the Lion receivers get open the whole half. The pass rush was almost non-existent, but the run defense managed to stop the Lions rushing attack. The Saint special teams played badly as well, giving up a 70 yard return on the to Desmond Howard on the opening kick off and letting The Lions have good field position all day. WR Donte Stallworth became the first rookie WR to catch a TD in his first four NFL games since 1982, but left the game late in the 2nd quarter and did not return from what's thought to be a hamstring injury. Keep an eye on this as Stallworth is a big part of the Saint offense. Also be aware that Stallworth struggled with a hamstring injury for much of preseason. Joe Horn left the game with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter with an injury to his left knee. There was no word on how serious it was. This is another one to keep a close eye on because if it does turn out to be a significant injury it will be a serious blow to the Saint passing attack as Horn is the Saints' number one receiver. Detroit Lions: It was a tale of two halves for rookie QB Joey Harrington but the first half was more than good enough to offset a mediocre second half. Overall, Harrington played extremely well in this game, throwing 20/35 for 267yards with no interceptions and a TD. He showed excellent poise in the pocket, and threw the ball very well. Everything clicked for the Lions offensively, with the offensive line giving Harrington plenty of protection. Harrington's favorite target was Bill Schroeder. Overall an excellent outing for the rookie, and possibly a preview of things to come from the talented young quarterback. Check the availability of WR Bill Schroeder who injured his ankle. James Stewart had a shaky day running the ball, going 18/65 for a 3.6 per carry average and was held out of the endzone. The majority of his yards came on a 36 yard rumble in the final minutes of the game that sealed the Lions victory. Overall, he looked pretty bad. The Lion secondary dominated the Saints in the first half, but they fell a part a bit in the second half, allowing Aaron Brooks to throw two passing TD's. They did put good pressure on Brooks the whole game, intercepting Brooks twice and recovering a Brooks fumble for a TD. They also nearly sacked Brooks in the endzone for a safety. The Saints passed a lot as they were playing catch up the entire game, and this limited Deuce McAllister's carries. However, McAllister did gain 61 yards on only 12 carries, a 5.08 yard average per carry. The Lion defense got the job done, but the run and pass defense remains weak and inconsistent, especially in the second half. Bill Schroeder returned after missing last week's game with bruised ribs to go 7/78 and a TD. He was Harrington's prime target in this game. This was Schroeder's first significant contribution since joining the Lions. He left the game with an ankle injury late in the 2nd quarter. His availability will be key to Harrington's success. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks had an awful first half, with an interception and a fumble that was returned for a TD. His pass protection was minimal and he was under constant pressure. The Lion secondary covered the Saint receivers reasonably well. The Saints opened up the second half in a hurry up offense, trying to establish some sort of rhythm, but the Lions held their ground and the scheme did not work. Brooks got things going a bit in the second half, tossing two TD's and running in a 2 point conversion (Deuce McAllister failed in a second attempt later in the game). Donte Stallworth left the game at the end of the second quarter and Joe Horn left late in the game, both injuries damaging the Saints passing attack. Brooks never really did get into rhythm, even colliding with Deuce McAllister on one play during a play action pass. Overall a poor performance by Brooks and the offense as a whole. RB: Deuce McAllister - He is the New Orleans ground game as he was only Saint RB to run the ball. But for the 2nd week in a row, his game plan role was affected by the Saints falling behind quickly. Had only 12 carries the whole game. Produced well when he did run with 61 yards but 22 of that came on a second quarter pitch left when the Lions bit on the counter move. Was active in the passing game, catching eight balls for 67 yards. Something that you won't see in the box score is his ability to pick up the blitz. This is important because even if he struggles catching the ball, he'll stay on the field on passing downs. WR: Donte Stallworth became the first rookie WR to catch a TD in his first four NFL games since 1982. He caught 3 passes for fourteen yards and a TD. The TD was upheld on an official review. Stallworth left the game after his TD catch late in the 2nd quarter and did not return. The Saints would not say why he left during the game, and later said he had a hamstring injury. The situation bears watching as Stallworth is an important part of the Saints offense. Be aware that Stallworth struggled with a hamstring injury for much of preseason. Joe Horn had a solid outing, catching six passes for 87 yards. He got the most looks from Aaron Brooks during the day, but left the game late in the fourth quarter with an injured knee. This could mean trouble for the Saints offense, as Horn is their number one receiver and Brooks' favorite target. Jerome Pathon had a decent day, going 6/55 and a TD, mostly in the second half. If Horn's injuries are serious, Pathon will most likely step into Horns spot, which could mean increased numbers for him. Josh Reed came in when Stallworth left the game. He caught 2 passes for 40 yards and no TD's. He did get a bunch of looks from Brooks, but most were not well thrown passes as Brooks was under pressure, and Reed dropped a few that were catchable. If the injuries to Stallworth and Horn are serious, Reed might see increased action. TE: David Sloan had a bad day at TE... Brooks threw to him quite often, but Sloan dropped several passes, ending up with only one reception for six yards. It was a very poor performance overall. K: John Carney had a slow day, with no FG attempts and only one extra point. The Saints went for a 2 point conversion twice, making one and failing to convert the second time. The special teams were woeful, allowing Desmond Howard to return the opening kick off for 70 yards, and giving the Lions great field position all game long. Pass Defense: The Saint pass defense let Harrington pick them a part all game, allowing him to go 20/35 for 267 yards and a TD. They failed to put any pressure on Harrington, and their coverage was very soft. Not a very good performance at all. Rush Defense: The rush defense played well, allowing the Lions only 88 yards on 27 carries combined between James Stewart, Cory Schlesinger, and Richard Huntley and keeping all of them out of the endzone. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Detroit Lions QB: Joey Harrington had an excellent outing in his second NFL start. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 267 yards and one TD. More importantly, he threw no interceptions. Harrington had good pass protection all day, and displayed some ability to get out of trouble the few times he did get pressured. Harrington made good throwing decisions all day, and was very accurate. His TD was a beautiful 38 yard strike to Bill Schroeder, his favorite target. He also had a nice 52 yard toss to Az-Zahir Hakim. Harrington's performance in this game may be a glimpse of things to come as he gains experience. Also keep an eye on Bill Schroeder's availability who left the game with an ankle injury. RB: James Stewart had a tough day running and receiving, going only 18/65 on the ground and 3/-5 receiving with no TD's. He did finally break loose for a 36 yard gain in the last minute of the game which allowed the Lions to run out the clock and seal the victory. Cory Schlesinger also had a tough day running the ball, going 6/19 on the ground and adding 3 catches for 25 yards. Richard Huntley, acquired by the Lions to take the place of Lamont Warren, who was placed on injured reserve, was a non-factor, carrying the ball only 3 times for 4 yards. WR: Bill Schroeder returned after missing last week with bruised ribs and turned in a nice performance. He ended up with a total of 7 receptions for 78 yards plus the TD, which came on a perfectly thrown 36 yard pass from Joey Harrington. Schroeder had not been a factor in the Lion passing game until today, but he was Harrington's favorite target in this game. While it remains to be seen if Schroeder can perform consistently, if teams continue to key on Az-Zahir Hakim Schroeder could put up decent numbers in the future if he has a good match up. He left the game with an ankle injury late in the 2nd quarter. Az-Zahir Hakim caught only three passes, but totaled 98 yards receiving, including a nice 52 yarder from Joey Harrington. Hakim has been the Lions main receiving threat so far this year, but if Bill Schroeder continues to perform Hakim's production may drop a bit. Larry Foster also had three catches for 37 yards. He is the Lions third receiver and did not get many looks from Harrington during the game. TE: Michael Ricks - Caught one ball for 34 yards but dropped what would have been a touchdown. The Lions settled for a field goal. The former wide receiver got very few looks in the game but his ability to get open deep will continue to draw Harrington's attention. K: Jason Hanson had a good day, hitting 4 of 4 field goals and 2 extra points. There was one broken play when John Jett fumbled the long snap on an aborted field goal attempt and recovered the ball himself at the 19. The Saints failed to capitalize on the turn over however. The Lions special teams played very well, consistently pinning the Saints deep in their own territory. Desmond Howard returned the opening kick off 70 yards. Pass Defense: The Lions put excellent pressure on Aaron Brooks all game long, intercepting Brooks twice and forcing Brooks to fumble. The fumble was recovered and run in for a TD, and one interception was converted into a field goal. The secondary fell a part a bit in the second half. The Lion pass defense showed some improvement against a good Saint passing game, but remains shaky and inconsistent overall... especially in the second half. Run Defense: The Saints were playing catch up all game, therefore their rushing game never really got going. but Deuce McAllister had 61 yards on only 12 carries, a 5 yard per carry average, plus a 12 yard run up the middle for a TD. Those are not good numbers for the run defense, and as a result the Lion run defense remains shaky at best overall.