Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints: 2023 Week 13 Recap

Game story

In Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season on 2023-12-03, the Detroit Lions took care of business against the New Orleans Saints, pulling away with a 33–28 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 21 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Goff (Detroit Lions) paced the passing game, with +7.94 total EPA, and -1.6% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, S. LaPorta (Detroit Lions) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +11.65 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-12.2% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when New Orleans Saints changed the game: (15:00) 4-D.Carr to NO 24 for -1 yards. FUMBLES, touched at NO 25, RECOVERED by DET-93-J.Paschal at NO 26.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 S. LaPorta · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +11.65 total EPA · 9 snaps · +1.29 EPA/play
2. 2 C. Olave · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +8.64 total EPA · 8 snaps · +1.08 EPA/play
3. 3 J. Goff · Detroit Lions · Passing · +7.94 total EPA · 28 snaps · +0.28 EPA/play
4. 4 D. Carr · New Orleans Saints · Passing · +7.33 total EPA · 24 snaps · +0.31 EPA/play
5. 5 A. Kamara · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +5.62 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.70 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Williams · Detroit Lions · Rushing · +2.37 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.37 EPA/play
7. 7 J. Williams · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +2.08 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.08 EPA/play
8. 8 F. Moreau · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.05 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.02 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Detroit Lions — D. Montgomery (Q1 56:19)
• Detroit Lions — S. LaPorta (J. Goff pass) (Q1 55:28)
• Detroit Lions — A. St (J. Goff pass) (Q1 53:21)
• New Orleans Saints — J. Graham (D. Carr pass) (Q2 39:11)
• New Orleans Saints — A. Kamara (Q3 25:08)
• New Orleans Saints — T. Hill (Q3 19:42)
• Detroit Lions — J. Williams (Q4 14:15)
• New Orleans Saints — A. Kamara (Q4 7:35)

Field goals

• Detroit Lions — R. Patterson (Q2 30:10)
• Detroit Lions — R. Patterson (Q3 15:01)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 21–0. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NO 2 (Q1 56:19) — (11:19) 70-D.Skipper reported in as eligible. 5-D.Montgomery right end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q1 56:15) — 36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NO 13 (Q1 55:28) — (10:28) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 87-S.LaPorta for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q1 55:24) — 36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NO 25 (Q1 53:21) — (8:21) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 14-A.St. Brown for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q1 53:15) — 36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox..

The second quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–3. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the DET 6 (Q2 39:11) — (9:11) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass short middle to 80-J.Graham for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q2 39:08) — 19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the NO 8 (Q2 30:10) — (:10) 36-R.Patterson 26 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox..

The third quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 14–3. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the DET 2 (Q3 25:08) — (10:08) 41-A.Kamara left guard for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q3 25:04) — 19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the DET 1 (Q3 19:42) — (4:42) (Shotgun) 73-M.Garcia, 67-L.Young and 99-K.Saunders reported in as eligible. 7-T.Hill left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q3 19:34) — 19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the NO 13 (Q3 15:01) — (:01) 36-R.Patterson 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox..

The fourth quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–6. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NO 19 (Q4 14:15) — (14:15) 9-J.Williams right end for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the DET 1 (Q4 7:35) — (7:35) 41-A.Kamara right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q4 7:30) — 19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New Orleans Saints (Q4 15:00) — (15:00) 4-D.Carr to NO 24 for -1 yards. FUMBLES, touched at NO 25, RECOVERED by DET-93-J.Paschal at NO 26. [WPA -12.2% · EPA -5.90]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 2:48) — (2:48) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short middle to 87-S.LaPorta to NO 47 for 10 yards (31-J.Howden). [WPA +11.9% · EPA +1.60]
• New Orleans Saints (Q1 56:15) — (11:15) 4-D.Carr pass short middle intended for 83-J.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 32-B.Branch at NO 30. 32-B.Branch to NO 17 for 13 yards (74-J.Hurst). [WPA -10.5% · EPA -6.70]
• Detroit Lions (Q3 17:59) — (2:59) 16-J.Goff pass deep right to 87-S.LaPorta pushed ob at NO 14 for 48 yards (29-P.Adebo). [WPA +9.9% · EPA +3.34]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 57:28) — (12:28) 16-J.Goff pass short left to 9-J.Williams to DET 47 for 11 yards (29-P.Adebo). Penalty on NO-29-P.Adebo, Defensive Pass Interference, declined. PENALTY on NO-96-C.Granderson, Roughing the Pass [WPA +8.8% · EPA +2.08]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New Orleans Saints (Q1 56:15) — (11:15) 4-D.Carr pass short middle intended for 83-J.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 32-B.Branch at NO 30. 32-B.Branch to NO 17 for 13 yards (74-J.Hurst). [WPA -10.5% · EPA -6.70]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 15:00) — (15:00) 4-D.Carr to NO 24 for -1 yards. FUMBLES, touched at NO 25, RECOVERED by DET-93-J.Paschal at NO 26. [WPA -12.2% · EPA -5.90]
• New Orleans Saints (Q3 25:52) — (10:52) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass deep left to 12-C.Olave to DET 2 for 33 yards (23-J.Jacobs) [79-J.Cominsky]. [WPA +6.1% · EPA +4.15]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 8:56) — (8:56) (Shotgun) 2-J.Winston pass deep left to 12-C.Olave pushed ob at DET 2 for 30 yards (31-K.Joseph). [WPA +5.8% · EPA +4.03]

Quarterback report card

J.Goff led all passers in efficiency for Detroit Lions, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Goff (Detroit Lions) · 28 dropbacks · 57.1% completion · -1.6% CPOE · +0.28 EPA/play · +7.94 total EPA
• D.Carr (New Orleans Saints) · 24 dropbacks · 70.8% completion · +9.7% CPOE · +0.31 EPA/play · +7.33 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Detroit Lions generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.05 vs -0.06), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Detroit Lions: 12 drives, +3.97 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• New Orleans Saints: 12 drives, -5.18 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Detroit Lions leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• S. LaPorta (Detroit Lions) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• D. Carr (NO) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q1 56:19 · NO 2 · Score 6-0
   (11:19) 70-D.Skipper reported in as eligible. 5-D.Montgomery right end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q1 56:15 · NO 15 · Score 7-0
   36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.
3. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q1 55:28 · NO 13 · Score 13-0
   (10:28) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 87-S.LaPorta for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q1 55:24 · NO 15 · Score 14-0
   36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.
5. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q1 53:21 · NO 25 · Score 20-0
   (8:21) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 14-A.St. Brown for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q1 53:15 · NO 15 · Score 21-0
   36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.
7. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 39:11 · DET 6 · Score 21-6
   (9:11) (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass short middle to 80-J.Graham for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 39:08 · DET 15 · Score 21-7
   19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.
9. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q2 30:10 · NO 8 · Score 24-7
   (:10) 36-R.Patterson 26 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.
10. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q3 25:08 · DET 2 · Score 24-13
    (10:08) 41-A.Kamara left guard for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q3 25:04 · DET 15 · Score 24-14
    19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.
12. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q3 19:42 · DET 1 · Score 24-20
    (4:42) (Shotgun) 73-M.Garcia, 67-L.Young and 99-K.Saunders reported in as eligible. 7-T.Hill left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
13. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q3 19:34 · DET 15 · Score 24-21
    19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.
14. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q3 15:01 · NO 13 · Score 27-21
    (:01) 36-R.Patterson 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-43-J.McQuaide, Holder-3-J.Fox.
15. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q4 14:15 · NO 19 · Score 33-21
    (14:15) 9-J.Williams right end for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
16. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 7:35 · DET 1 · Score 33-27
    (7:35) 41-A.Kamara right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
17. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q4 7:30 · DET 15 · Score 33-28
    19-B.Grupe extra point is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-39-L.Hedley.