Five things the Lions (7-4) must do to beat the Saints (8-3) at the Superdome on Sunday Night Football:

1. Pressure Drew Brees who looked almost unstoppable on Monday night in the win over the Giants. The Lions will miss Ndamukong Suh but they have to soldier on and perhaps it will give them additional resolve to get the job done. If they can’t get at it from the middle, Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch will need to attack from the outside. If Brees has time, he’ll pick apart the Lions secondary.

2. Matthew Stafford, minus his gloves and finger splint, needs to have a solid ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. He’s thrown nine in last three games and won’t blame it on the finger. He needs to make better decisions.

3. Get the ball to Calvin Johnson. Yes, he’s mostly double- and triple-teamed but he must be a target. Getting Johnson heavily involved in the offense gives the offense a better chance.

4. Patched-up secondary must pull together. Chris Houston and Louis Delmas might sit out with knee injuries, so others must step up. Eric Berry could start at corner with Alphonso Smith at nickel. Chris Harris is expected to get the nod at safety. Here’s an interesting stat. John Wendling, who excels on special teams, is 4-0 as a starter going back to last season

5. Don’t let the bright lights be blinding. It’s the Lions first appearance on Sunday Night Football. Game time got moved to set up one of the NFL’s best matchups of the day in prime time. Keep the attitude, don’t get too caught up in the playoff ramifications.

Prediction: Saints 42, Lions 35

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