The Detroit Lions will be without their starting center for a significant amount of time, something New Orleans Saints fans are all too familiar with. Fans have seen what the impact of Erik McCoy being injured can be, and the Lions will hope to avoid those pitfalls without Cade Mays.
Mays suffered a fractured a bone in his wrist that'll keep him out for around two months. Even with a speedy recovery, he won't be ready for the season opener against the Saints. If their struggles are anything like the Saints had in 2024, the Saints may be able to take advantage of that loss in Week 1.
The Lionsn will be turning to Seth McLaughlin, who had solid upside coming out of college but was injured most of his rookie season. McLaughlin will step into Week 1 with 3 preseason games of experience to his name. The Saints being without Bryan Bresee could even the playing field, but it's certainly a story to watch in the season opener.
The Saints have to take advantage of a banged up Lions team
Mays isn't the only injury the Lions have. They also have injuries in the secondary that will likely keep safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph out for the opening game. Those two injuries are notable, as they're two of the most impactful players on Detroit's defense.
Branch is one of the best young safeties in the NFL. He's always flying around the field, so he's a threat in the passing game and running game. He had 7 interceptions in his first two years in the league before having 0 a year ago.
Speaking of turnovers, Joseph has been a turnover machine since Day 1. The least amount of interceptions the safety has had in his career, and that came last year in a six game season.
Those 3 interceptions would have been first on the Saints last year, and Joseph did it in just six games. That's an interception in every other game. Before you say that isn't sustainable, Joseph did just that in 2024, finishing with a league-leading 9 interceptions en route to being first team
Bolstering the passing attack was a priority for the Saints this offseason, so you'll want to see them take advantage of an injured Lions secondary.
Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson are both explosive threats. There's room for some big plays from them in Week 1, or maybe Barion Brown dials up one of the big plays we've seen in practice recently.
Whether it's the loss at center or safety, the Saints need to take advantage of these absences for the Lions. The Saints are the underdogs, and exploiting these injuries could be the key to pulling off the upset.
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