News and Events

*Sunday’s victory improved the Saints’ record to 9-3 and extended New Orleans’ lead in the NFC South to two games over Atlanta (7-5).
*The Saints clinched a third consecutive winning season for only the second time in franchise history. The other stretch of three straight winning seasons came from 1987-89.
*The Saints improved to 6-0 at home for only the second time in franchise history (2009).
*New Orleans did not commit a turnover for the third consecutive game. The Saints are now 19-0 under head coach Sean Payton when not committing a turnover.
*QB Drew Brees completed 26 of 36 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with a passer rating of 129.6.
*Brees has passed for 4,031 yards this season – his sixth straight 4,000-yard season – and became the first quarterback in NFL history to top the 4,000-yard mark in his team’s first 12 games of the season. He is only the second quarterback (Peyton Manning, 1999-2004) to throw for 4,000 yards in six consecutive seasons.
*Brees upped his season touchdown pass total to 30, becoming the second quarterback in NFL history to have four consecutive seasons of 30 or more TD passes, joining Brett Favre (1994-98) in that group.
*Brees has nine 300-yard passing games and eight games with a passer rating of 100 or better this season. In his six years with the Saints, Brees has 46 300-yard games and 44 games with a passer rating of 100 .
*Brees has thrown a touchdown pass in 39 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in NFL history. Johnny Unitas holds the NFL record of 47.
*Brees also extended his NFL-record streak of games with 20 or more completions to 32.
*WR Robert Meachem caught three passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard TD catch in the second quarter. It was Meachem’s fourth career 100-yard receiving game and his first this season. The 119 yards are the most by a receiver against Detroit this season.
*Meachem’s TD catch was the 22nd of his career, breaking a tie with former Saints TE Hoby Brenner for ninth place on the franchise’s career list for receiving TDs.
*WR Lance Moore’s 20-yard TD reception late in the second quarter was the 28th of his career, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the Saints career list. He entered Sunday tied for fifth with Henry Childs.
*Moore has five TD catches in his last five games. Prior to that, he had just one TD reception this season.
*RB Darren Sproles had five receptions for 46 yards, increasing his season total to 522, a career-best total. His previous career high was 520 in 2010.
*TE Jimmy Graham caught eight passes for 89 yards and became the first tight end in franchise history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Graham now has 75 catches for 1,046 yards this season.
*The Lions’ second-quarter touchdown was the first TD allowed by the Saints defense in the first half since Week 8 at St. Louis. In three games in November, the Saints held opponents to 12 points in the first half, all on field goals.
*G Jahri Evans made his 92nd consecutive start, setting a Saints record for most consecutive starts at the beginning of a career. Evans broke a tie with Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson (1981-87).
*DE Will Smith made his 100th career start.
*LB Jonathan Vilma returned to the lineup after missing the last three games and led the Saints with 10 tackles.
*CB Tracy Porter had the game’s only takeaway, a fourth-quarter interception. It was Porter’s first INT since Week 2 of the 2010 season.
*LB Scott Shanle’s second-quarter sack was his first since the 2008 season. He now has 8.5 career sacks.
*DE Junior Galette’s sack in the fourth quarter upped his season total to 3.5, third on the team.