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NEW ORLEANS -- Saints coach Sean Payton has experienced clutch envy while studying the Lions this season.Its got nothing to do with fashionable, hand-held bags, but everything to do with Detroits repeated triumphs in close contests.Listen, Im jealous, said Payton, whose team has lost five games by six or fewer points. Obviously, to credit Detroit, theyve been able to win those games and I think that theres a little bit of confidence, if you will, when that starts happening. You expect it to happen.The Lions (7-4), who visit the Saints (5-6) on Sunday, lead the NFC North thanks to five victories by four or fewer points, including last week, when a late interception set up a winning field goal against Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day .The Saints opened the season with a one-point loss because of their inability to stop Oaklands last minute TD and bold, 2-point conversion . New Orleans then lost by a field goal to the New York Giants, largely because of blocked a Saints field goal returned for a Giants TD.New Orleans was lining up for a go-ahead extra point kick in the final minutes against Denver last month, only to see that try blocked and returned for two points the other way for the Broncos margin of victory.Those are gut-wrenching losses and tough ones to bounce back from, Payton said. It tests your grip a little bit.Yet, when quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints league-leading offense are in synch, and if the defense is even just decent, the result can be leads large enough to render the final minutes irrelevant. Thats what happened last week against Los Angeles, when the Saints piled up 555 yards in a 49-21 rout of the Rams .So while the Lions remain confident about their competence in the clutch, it might not matter if they cant keep it close for four quarters.I dont know why theyve lost six games, Lions safety Glover Quin said. The thing I know is its Drew Brees. Its the New Orleans Saints. Theyre in the Superdome. Theyre going to be fired up and we have to match the intensity.Here are some other top story lines surrounding Detroits visit to New Orleans:SUPERIOR STAFFORD: One big reason the Lions are winning close games is because QB Matthew Stafford isnt losing them with poor decisions and turnovers. Stafford has thrown one interception in his last seven games and just six in his last 18. Staffords arm, meanwhile, is considered among the leagues best by none other than Brees.He can make some throws that most guys cant make -- cant even attempt to make, Brees said. Hes got some moxie, got some savvy. ... Hes just got that playmaking ability in critical situations.This season, Stafford has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,883 yards and 19 TDs against five interceptions.BETTER BREES: The Saints record-setting QB, who turns 38 on Jan. 15, is arguably having his best season in five years. If he maintains his completion percentage of 71.5, hell break the NFL record of 71.2 he set in 2011. He currently leads the NFL with 3,587 yards and 30 TDs passing. Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said he can live with lots of completions as long as theyre more lateral than vertical. Thats why he was pleased with how his defense played against Minnesota QB Sam Bradford (31 of 37) last week.He can go 36 of 36, as long as they dont throw the ball over our heads and as long as we get them off the field on third down, Austin said.ROARING LIONS: The Lions have won six of seven for the first time since 1995, when they won six of the last seven to earn a playoff berth for the fourth time in five years. Since then, Detroit has been in the postseason four times, most recently in 2014. The Lions also are in a position to win their first division title since 1993, when they were part of the NFC Central before divisions were realigned in 2002.ANGRY MARK: Two games ago, Mark Ingrams night was cut short when he was briefly knocked unconscious and placed in the NFL concussion protocol. Just 10 days later he gained 146 yards rushing on just 14 carries, including a 10-yard TD, against Los Angeles. He also scored on a 21-yard screen and was selected NFC offensive player of the week. However, Ingram has been bothered by a toe injury this week.Every time that dude touches the ball its like hes running angry, Brees said. Man, hes like ferocious. You can feel it. That inspires the whole group.INSIDE PRESSURE: Each team fields a defensive tackle it selected early in last springs draft. New Orleans Sheldon Rankins, taken 12th overall out of Louisville, recently returned from a broken leg that sidelined him for New Orleans first eight games. He has two sacks in his last three games and a forced fumble.Detroits AShawn Robinson, drafted 46th out of Alabama, has two sacks, four tackles for losses and has batted down a handful of passes in 11 games.---For more NFL coverage: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Allen Park, Michigan, contributed to this report.---An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Detroits most recent playoff season as 2011. Geronimo Allison Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Dave Robinson Super Bowl Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Reggie-white-packers-jersey/ . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Montravius Adams Super Bowl Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Jamaal Williams Super Bowl Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. NEW ORLEANS -- Detroit safety Glover Quin recognized a deep route by Brandin Cooks just in time to make a diving breakup of a long pass down the middle of the field.A few plays later, Quin intercepted Brees along the sideline.Obviously Drew Brees is a great player with great talent around him; we knew it was going to be a challenge, so we locked in -- all week, Quin said.That much was evident in the Lions 28-13 victory over the Saints on Sunday in the Superdome, where Brees had a touchdown pass in 60 straight home games before Detroit derailed that streak.If there was ever an outing that could embolden a defense as the stakes rise for the NFC North Division-leading Lions (8-4) late in the season, that was it.After all, the Saints (5-7) had scored seven TDs in the Superdome one week earlier in a blowout victory over the Los Angeles Rams.This week, the Lions intercepted Brees three times -- once each by Quin , Tavon Wilson and Miles Killebrew .We just did what we do. Thats what great defenses do, Quin said. They put up 49 points in this building last week, so for us to come in here and not allow (Brees) to throw a touchdown, to get three turnovers, to hold them to 13 points, 50 yards rushing ... against an offense like this, I think it was a good performance.While Brees finished with 326 yards passing, he had only had 94 yards at halftime and didnt get his last 75 yards until New Orleans final drive, when Detroit led by 15 and was giving up underneath routes in an effort to reduce the chances of a quick strike.The more productive quarterback on the day was Detroits Matthew Stafford, who completed 31 of 44 passes for 341 yards, two touchdowns and did not turn the ball over.His only regret was that Detroit failed to score touchdowns on four trips inside the New Orleans 20. This time, though, the Lions didnt need those points.Our defense, giving up 13 to that group, is pretty incredible, Stafford said.Detroits suffocating defense emerged as one key story line from the Lions victory in New Orleans. Here are some others:SLOPPY SAINTSThe Saints regretted several chances to make game-changing plays which slipped through their fingers. Cornerback Sterling Moore dropped what had the makings of a certain interception of a tipped pass with the potential for aa long return.ddddddddddddTight Coby Fleener had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line. Cameron Jordan made a strong play to bat one of Staffords passes into the air in the fourth quarter when the Saints trailed by six, but he couldnt pick up the ball in time to catch it before it dropped right next to him. Brees also failed to handle a shotgun snap on third-and-1.Saints coach Sean Payton said his team looked, sluggish, like we came off a short week or something.GOLDEN TOUCHStafford connected with Golden Tate eight times for 145 yards , and the pair was particularly in synch on a third-and-10 play early in the fourth quarter.With the Superdome crowd roaring in hopes of disrupting the Lions communication at the line of scrimmage, Stafford recognized safety Kenny Vaccaros impending blitz, checked into a different play and rifled a pass to a wide-open Tate for a 66-yard TD pass that gave the Lions a 25-13 lead.PLAYOFF PICTUREWhile the Lions consolidated their perch atop their division with a seventh victory in eight games, the Saints slid closer to the brink of elimination. New Orleans was only fortunate that NFC South leader Atlanta lost, as did the Redskins, who entered the day holding the last wild-card slot. The results left the Saints two games out of a playoff spot with four games left.Its nice to have something that were still playing for, Saints right tackle Zach Strief said. Were not out. Were not done, and yet, if you thought your back was against the wall before, look now.Detroit is trying to win its first division crown since 1993, when it played in the NFC Central. The Lions have a two-game lead over second-place Minnesota and Green Bay.KEEPING IT CLEANWith his latest game without a turnover, Stafford has thrown just one interception in his past eight games.As he has done regularly this season, Stafford mixes in a few timely scrambles rather than force throws. He rushed three times for 22 yards, including an 11-yard run for a first down, giving him 30 rushes for a career-high 178 yards, an average of 5.9 yards per carry.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '