New Orleans Saints (1-2) at Detroit Lions (1-2), 1:00 pm
Saints: The club’s pass defense continues to be a liability and was lit up last Sunday night at home vs. the Packers. In 2019, the Saints allowed 18 TD passes in their last nine outings (including playoffs) after giving up just 10 scores through the air in their first eight contests. This season, Dennis Allen’s unit has been struck for eight aerial scores.
Lions: Despite the team’s 1-2 record, Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford has been very efficient and could have his way with a New Orleans Saints’ secondary that is still trying to find itself. The veteran signal-caller has overcome nine sacks and thrown for 811 yards and five TD passes (to 5 different players) and just two picks.
Minnesota Vikings (0-3) at Houston Texans (0-3), 1:00 pm
Vikings: The club will face its third consecutive interconference opponent, falling at Indianapolis (28-11) and at home to the Titans (31-30). Known for their defense under Mike Zimmer, only two teams have allowed more total yards per game and only the Atlanta Falcons (108) have surrendered more points than the Vikings (102) this year.
Texans: Bill O’Brien’s team has faced quite the gauntlet in the Chiefs, Ravens and Steelers – who have combined for an 8-1 record in three weeks. But the bigger issue for the Texans is a defensive unit that has allowed an NFL-worst 188.3 yards per game on the ground and this week will have to deal with Vikings’ running back Dalvin Cook.