METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints began the toughest stretch of their schedule Sunday well-rested following a bye week, ready to shake off a 2-3 start and put their best foot forward to take an NFC South title that no one seems to want.

They certainly looked the part for more than 3 1/2 quarters against the Detroit Lions, playing well enough on offense against the NFL’s top-ranked defense while taking a page from the Lions and doing a solid job on the defensive side.

However, it all went for naught in the closing minutes of the game, a frantic stretch in which the Lions (5-2) woke up and scored two touchdowns in the final 3 minutes, 38 seconds to take a 24-23 win over the stunned Saints (2-4).

With the Carolina Panthers losing big at Green Bay, the Saints had a chance to move into a virtual tie for the NFC South lead until they sandwiched two big defensive gaffes around a Drew Brees interception.

The outcome of the game was painfully similar to the Saints’ first two road games this season. New Orleans had a three-point lead late in the opener at Atlanta and went on to lose in overtime. A week later, the Saints held a one-point edge at Cleveland before allowing the game-winning field goal with three seconds left.

This one stung much more, mainly because the Saints did more than enough to defeat the Lions — particularly on offense. They picked up 408 total yards, the most against the Lions this season, and their 23 points were one off the most Detroit allowed in its first six games.

However, a short pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Golden Tate was misplayed by cornerback Corey White into a 73-yard touchdown. Brees was intercepted minutes later, setting up a 14-yard scoring drive culminating in the game-winning pass from Stafford to wide receiver Corey Fuller. A pass-interference penalty against Saints safety Rafael Bush on fourth-and-5 inside the 10 kept the drive going.

“It was a difficult loss, especially the way most of that game was played,” Saints coach Sean Payton said Monday. “At the very end, we were not able to close, and we were not able to finish and do some of the things — do a lot of the things — necessary to win.”

When asked if there was one play or situation he would like to have back in the close game, Payton said, “There are a handful. … You start with the long touchdown pass that changes the momentum. But there isn’t just one, there are a handful.”

REPORT CARD VS. LIONS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C — After three solid quarters, the Saints struggled to throw the ball in the final period Sunday — especially in the closing minutes of a one-point loss to the Lions. QB Drew Brees went 2-for-13 with an interception after completing a pass to RB Mark Ingram to start the fourth quarter — and the two that he hit on were dump-offs to RB Travaris Cadet on the last-gasp drive that went nowhere. Even with the poor fourth-quarter numbers, Brees finished 28 of 45 for 342 yards with two TDs — one of them a 46-yard strike to WR Kenny Stills — and one interception. He was sacked just once and had a passer rating of 91.2. WR Marques Colston had six catches for 111 yards, and Stills caught five balls for 103 yards, but All-Pro TE Jimmy Graham, who was playing despite a sprained right shoulder, did not catch a pass and was targeted just twice on his 30 snaps.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: D — Despite the return of RB Mark Ingram from a fractured hand, the Saints could not get anything going against one of the league’s top run defenses and finished with a season-low 73 yards and 3.5-yard average on 21 carries. Ingram was held to 16 yards on 10 attempts, and the Saints failed to reach the 100-yard mark as a team for the first time this season. RB Khiry Robinson, who came up big while filling in for Ingram, netted 26 yards on three attempts with a long gain of 17 yards, but he lost a fumble to earn some time on the sideline. To make matters worse, RB Pierre Thomas had to leave the game in the third quarter after sustaining an apparent shoulder injury.

–PASS DEFENSE: C — It would be easy to drop this grade lower, but the Saints actually did a pretty good against QB Matthew Stafford and a Detroit offense that was missing All-Pro WR Calvin Johnson. The Saints were without FS Jairus Byrd and CB Patrick Robinson, and they lost their best cover corner, Keenan Lewis, late in the contest. Stafford was 27 of 40 for 299 yards with two touchdown passes — both in the final four minutes — and two interceptions. He also was sacked three times, but the big blow was a 73-yard TD pass to WR Golden Tate that got the Lions within six points. Stafford then directed a short, game-winning drive to a 5-yard TD to WR Corey Fuller with 1:48 left. Tate scorched a depleted secondary for 10 catches for 154 yards, while Fuller had three grabs for 44 yards.

–RUSH DEFENSE: A — The Saints were effective against a struggling Lions ground game, holding Detroit to 59 yards and a 2.5-yard average on 24 attempts. ILB Curtis Lofton, the Saints’ top run defender, had a lot to do with that in notching 16 total tackles, including 13 solo stops. Former Saints RB Joique Bell had the most success with 48 yards on 18 carries with a 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter. Bell’s 11-yard run was the longest of the day for the Lions. Reggie Bush, another former Saints running back, was held to 10 yards on four carries.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B — Shayne Graham made all three of his field-goal attempts from 27, 36 and 48 yards, although he hit the upright with his 27-yarder at the end of the first half. Thomas Morstead averaged 42 yards gross and net on four punts. The Saints did a decent job on kick coverage, allowing an average of just 23.5 yards on kickoff returns, and they got a season-long 15-yard punt return from Brandin Cooks after coming into the game last in the league in that category.

–COACHING: B — There wasn’t much Sean Payton and his staff could have done differently after getting their team in position to win the game. New Orleans held a 23-10 lead with less than four minutes left when the Lions turned a simple out route into a 73-yard touchdown pass that changed the momentum dramatically.