For most of 2023 and 2024, the Lions made it look easy. Even early last season, they flexed their muscles against inferior opponents, with five of their first six wins by double digits. If Week 1 was any indication, this season might be different.
The Lions looked they were headed for another romp, up 21-0 in the Saints at home in the third quarter. They ultimately needed overtime and a last-gasp stop on a two-point attempt to prevail. The offense sputtered in the first half and the fourth quarter. The defense sagged in the second half. Is this just how it might look this year?
Is this just what it might be?
"What, winning games?" said Jared Goff. "I don't care how it happens, man. If we're up and they come back or we're down and we come back, it doesn't matter. I think in the last, rewind couple of years, 15-2, we're spoiled by winning, in various ways. And we certainly know, but I'm talking to you guys. Any shape or form, the way they come doesn't matter to us.
"Yeah, of course we'd love to keep scoring and win 49-0. I'm not saying (otherwise), but listen, it's the NFL, this thing's hard, Week 1 is very hard, and we're happy to get a win."
Aidan Hutchinson: "Two sacks in Week 1 and a win — that’s great. We’re going to move on to Buffalo and make some improvements in some areas of the rush where I gotta get a little better." pic.twitter.com/BSdiPBTlSG
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) September 13, 2026
The Saints' first eight drives ended in either a punt or a turnover and netted 93 total yards. Their final six drives ended in either a touchdown or a field goal attempt and netted 390 plays.
Explosives were an issue for the Lions' defense last season, and Sunday was ultimately no different. The Saints hit six plays of 20-plus yards, with receiver Chris Olave catching 10 passes for 182 yards.
"A tale of two halves," said cornerback D.J. Reed, who allowed two bombs to Olave in the second half. "First half we played lights out. Second half we gave up too many explosives, which led to points. But we got the win. ... Take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day."
The Lions punted or turned it over on five of their first six drives, and punted on three of their final four in regulation. They capitalized on a couple takeaways by the defense to score touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half, and put together a big-boy drive on the opening possession of overtime.
But it was a clunky showing throughout the game, full of miscues on both sides of the ball.
"Obviously we wish we could've changed some things in that game, execute some plays better," said Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught two second-half touchdowns. "But at the end of the day it's the first game, it's always going to be a little sloppier than you expect. As long as you come out and get a dub, I don't care who you're playing, it's tough to get W's in this league and we were able to finish out on top, which is the biggest thing."
Detroit's defense looked exhausted as the second half wore on and the Saints went up-tempo on offense. The Lions kept blitzing, and Tyler Shough kept exploiting it with quick throws to vacancies in coverage or by dodging pressure, extending plays with his feet and finding open receivers downfield. Detroit wound up playing 90 snaps on defense, its most in six seasons under Campbell.
Derrick Barnes on Spidey senses that led to his pick: "I told my son, man, if I’m out here wearing a tight-ass Spiderman suit, I better come out to this game and do something." 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/E2FK2fTQdo
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) September 13, 2026
Aidan Hutchinson admitted that "when QB's are getting the ball out quick and then they’re doing the two-minute drill, by the fourth quarter you’re starting to get a little tired." Hutchinson produced two of the Lions' five sacks on a day the Saints attempted 56 passes, but Kelvin Sheppard's blitzes waned in effectiveness as the game progressed.
Shough credited the Lions for "presenting some looks" the Saints weren't expecting that "kind of broke us down" in the first half, namely cover-0 blitzes. The pressure sped up Shough's feet and threw off his timing. But "we got it fixed" in the second half, he said. Once the Saints adjusted, Sheppard and the Lions failed to adjust back.
Unforced errors plagued the Lions on offense. Jameson Williams dropped a perfectly-thrown deep ball by Goff that would have gone for 40-plus yards late in the first quarter and fumbled a pitch from Goff on an end-around that might have gone 60-plus yards to the house early in the second. He also failed to secure two catchable passes on third down, but did respond with a clutch grab in overtime on a deep out route that set up the Lions' go-ahead touchdown.
Elsewhere in the second quarter, Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled after making a catch, and the Lions were bailed out by a reversal of a strip-sack touchdown for the Saints after backup running back Sione Vaki ran into Penei Sewell from behind and knocked Sewell off his block of Chase Young. Both Campbell and Goff admitted they were surprised the review went in their favor. Goff's apparent fumble was ruled an incomplete pass based on his intent to throw.
"Look, I'll take that one," said Campbell. "I'll be the first to say, man, I thought we lost that one. But the arm was going forward, it had a forward motion. That was how they saw it. We got one. We'll take that."
The Lions also shot themselves in the foot with penalties on the offensive line. The biggest one was a holding call on left guard Ben Bartch, who replaced the injured Christian Mahogany early in the game, when the Lions had first and goal from the 1 with a chance to put away the game late in the fourth quarter. That drive ended in a field goal that kept the Saints within a score, and they tied it on the ensuing possession.
"Week 1, you just never know the way it's going to go," said Campbell. "Especially a team like that, man, that's up-and-coming, they're young, they're hungry. Man, this is their new hope for the season. They're going to throw it out at you, and they did that. It became that kind of game, and we hung in there and made the last play to win it, and that's the most important thing.
"So yeah, I'm going to go home and prop my feet up for a minute, and then clean this up and get on to Buffalo."
Looming are the Bills, who went on the road in Week 1 and put up 36 points and over 400 yards against the vaunted Texans defense. Josh Allen produced four touchdowns, two with his arms, two with his legs, in Buffalo's shootout victory. If Shough can pick apart the Lions like he did in the second half Sunday, you shudder to think what Allen might do. He was unstoppable in their last meeting, late in the 2024 season in Detroit.
That defense for the Lions was littered with injuries in the front seven. This one appears to have serious holes in the secondary, with two All-Pro caliber safeties sidelined in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch and a pair of corners who were exposed Sunday in Reed and Rock Ya-Sin.
Still, Ya-Sin made the play the Lions needed most, breaking up the two-point conversion pass with the game in the balance. Give an assist to Tyleik Williams, whose pressure altered Shough's throw. The Lions are 1-0, with lots of work and a short week ahead of them.
"An overtime L would have sucked going into Thursday," said Hutchinson.
Instead, the Lions will come to work Monday fresh off a victory. Mistakes are always easier to confront, and correct, after a win.
"Oh my gosh, you kidding me? It's the best," said Hutchinson. "In the NFL, man, most games you play come down to the wire and you just find a way to win. There's a lot of talent in this league. Just win -- that's the mantra."
