Stock up, stock down after Saints fall to Lions in OT: Olave explosion

The New Orleans Saints rode the Week 1 rollercoaster in their 31-30 Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, a game that came down to a 2-point conversion attempt in overtime.

Tyler Shough bounced back from a brutal start to throw for 410 yards and Chris Olave hauled in 10 passes for 182 of those yards as the Saints erased a 21-point deficit to force the extra session. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but can the Saints build on an inspiring loss?

Scroll below for our stock up and stock down players from a wild afternoon in Motown.

Normally I'll start with stock down after losses, but I refuse to be miserable after a game that entertaining. So instead, let's start with the positives:

STOCK UP

BOBBLEHEAD 12 & THE PASS-CATCHERS

It might sound like a band name, but it sure seems like Chris Olave is leaning into the "bobblehead 12" energy brought on by the Guardian Cap he's now wearing in games. That's a stock up on its own, because I've been hoping for a while that he'd see past the somewhat goofy look of those things and focus more on the self-preservation part of the equation. He's now a $30-plus million WR and he's taking on the added protection.

And man, did he show in this game exactly why the Saints were more than willing to fork over that big-money deal. He had a tough start with a drop and a few other difficult opportunities he couldn't haul in. I don't think anyone on offense could be accused of having a strong start, so he gets a pass there. But it seemed like whenever the Saints needed a big play in the second half, he was there to provide it. In the end it was 10 catches for a career-high 182 yards, which also represents the high water mark for receivers this week. That's his third consecutive 100-yard receiving game dating back to last season.

He also battled through cramps to get it done, late in the game ditching his socks -- knowing he'd probably get fined for it -- and hauling a critical ball to set up the game-tying touchdown in the 4th quarter, and another for a 4th down conversion in overtime. I also liked the physicality he played with in this game, multiple times catching the ball short of the sticks and fighting through tackles for first downs. He won jump balls. He did everything but catch a touchdown in this game.

That's OK because his counterparts were more than up to the task for that one. Devaughn Vele had an impressive day of his own, hauling in 7 catches for 69 yards. He ran a beautiful route and hauled in a diving catch for the Saints' first touchdown of the day, and he made another impressive diving grab for a 31-yard gain on another Saints scoring drive. Juwan Johnson didn't haul in his first catch of the day until the final minutes of regulation, but that catch happened to be a 9-yard touchdown to tie the game. In overtime it was Noah Fant's turn, running a beautiful inside route for the touchdown that set up the 2-point attempt that fell incomplete.

There were a lot of things that went wrong on offense today, but as Shough settled in he was able to use his pass-catching arsenal at an elite level. That bodes well for the future, considering at some point Jordyn Tyson will also be added to the mix.

EXTRA HITTERS

The defense is tough to evaluate in this game for a few reasons. One is that the Saints had as significant of a rotation in this game as I've ever seen. I don't know if it was because it's Week 1 and they expected guys to get winded more quickly, but it seemed like every time I looked up there was a different player at a key spot. That's not a problem, but it does make for a tough evaluation.

The other reason is there just didn’t seem to be a ton of consistent pressure from the edges. Carl Granderson did get through for a sack and Chase Young laid a big hit on Jared Goff that, ahem, apparently was only good for a forced incompletion. But what stood out was the work from both the interior DL and Kaden Elliss, who led the team with three QB hurries. I was eager to see how Brandon Staley would incorporate Elliss' pass rush ability and apparently the answer was early and often. Elliss also had nine tackles, second only to Jonas Sanker's 10, another player who I felt showed well in his first run at the star spot.

Vernon Broughton had two QB hurries and had the lone takeaway on an impressive chasedown play. High-level effort there. Nathan Shepherd also drew a critical holding penalty with the Lions set up at the 1 yard line for a touchdown that would've given them an 11-point lead with time dwindling. Instead they settled for a field goal. The refs could've probably gifted Shepherd a few more calls, too, but I digress. It's the type of play that won't be marked down in the stat sheet anywhere, but it was critical to give the Saints a shot to pull off the epic comeback.

I don't love giving up 186 yards to Jahmyr Gibbs, but he's probably the most dangerous player in the entire NFL right now. The run defense has to be better, but there's only one Jahmyr (and I say this well aware that Derrick Henry is looming next week, and Bijan Robinson comes to town in Week 4).

BOUNCEBACK SHOUGH

I've said this before, but one of the things I appreciate about Tyler Shough as the Saints' long-term starting QB isn't that he's perfect all the time. The start of today's game showed he certainly was not. There were inaccurate balls, it looked like there were a few misreads. The Lions sent a lot of unscouted pressures that clearly had the young QB uncomfortable. He said himself he was a bit too sped up early on.

But what he always seems able to do is grow into games, particularly the ones where he's frustrated early on. You might not get the best version of Shough in the first quarter, but you're almost always seeing it by the end of the day. He figures out the defense, not the other way around. And when you can say that about a quarterback, I'll show you a quarterback that gives you a chance to win every game.

I'd love to say this was a tale of two halves, but that'd be inaccurate. Shough ended the first half 10-22 passing for 85 yards and an interception. He came out after halftime and things immediately got worse. Shough's first throw of the third quarter saw Derrick Barnes step in front of Noah Fant for an interception (the second interception of the day targeted the new TE). The Lions drove for a touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0. The next possession started with a short run, followed by a sack from Barnes. The very next play Roger McCreary got in and forced a fumble.

Back-to-back turnovers. Back-to-back Lions touchdowns. The Saints trailed 21-0 and looked dead in the water. I'm sure a lot of fans gave up hope at that moment. I didn't, because I was watching the young QB on the sideline. You'd have never known whether he just got done giving up his second consecutive turnover or throwing his second consecutive touchdown pass. It was quiet determination, and that shone through as he fought his way back into the game.

From that point, this is how the Saints' drives went:
- 9 plays, 79 yards, TD (Vele), 4:27
- 7 plays, 54 yards, TD (Miller), 2:52
- 11 plays, 66 yards, FG (Carlson, 28), 5:22
- 8 plays, 75 yards, TD (Johnson), 1:25
- 5 plays, 36 yards, missed FG (Carlson, 62), 0:27
- 10 plays, 80 yards, TD (Fant), 1:34 (OT)

The special QBs are the ones that can have tough halves, flush them completely and still find a way to play their best at the end of a game. Room to improve? Absolutely. There were too many sacks taken, there were too many turnovers. The Saints need to find a way to get off to faster starts. But 410 passing yards and a 21-point rally doesn't happen by accident. The Saints have their guy, they just need to find a bit more consistency.

HONORABLE MENTION

Bryce Lance and Barion Brown were both thrown into the fire and I thought both delivered as well as you could've hoped. Lance made his impact in the pass game, hauling in three of four targets including a critical 4th and 12 conversion to keep the game alive in the 4th quarter. He was targeted on the 2-point try that ended the game. He'll beat himself up about it, but he did all he could. The Lions played it well. As far as Brown, he was asked to handle seven returns. There were no explosive plays, but he was steady. There was a 16-yard punt return in the second half that set up the Saints in good position for a scoring drive. Both of those players will only keep getting better. ... Speaking of special teams, I thought Daniel Carlson had a really solid day. His first two kickoffs were particularly impressive, one pinning the Lions at their own 18 to start the game and the second at the 20 after they were forced to take a knee in the end zone. He made all three PATs and a 28-yard field goal. He did have a chance to be the hero with a 62-yard attempt that drifted right and appeared to come up short. I won't hold that against him. It's on the Saints offense for not getting that into a more reasonable range. He's just a solid, veteran kicker that you trust every time he goes out there. ... Ryan Wright also had a solid day, though the coverage surrendered 16- and 17-yard returns. Those types of returns will ruin that net average real quick. ... CJ Donaldson only had 4 carries for 2 yards, but two of those carries were first downs in short-yardage situations. It's been a while since I felt like the Saints had a legit short-yardage option. Perhaps it's CJ? ... The Saints had just six penalties for 53 yards, which is a very reasonable total. Good to see after this team was a penalty magnet in the preseason.

STOCK DOWN

RUSHING EFFICIENCY

I went into today optimistic that the run game we saw in camp would translate to the regular season. I'm still hopeful, but I didn't see much in this game to drive optimism.

The Saints went for an even split in the tandem between Travis Etienne and Kendre Miller, which surprised me a bit. They evenly split 8 carries in the first half and took them for 24 yards (3 yards per carry). That lack of any production on the ground was as big a reason as any for why the offense couldn't find its footing.

Things loosened up a bit in the second half. Etienne went for 40 yards on his five second-half carries, including a long of 18. Miller struggled to find running lanes and added just 12 yards on his five carries, though one was a nifty 8-yard touchdown run.

Still, 18 total carries for the top two backs and 76 total yards isn't good enough. I also don't know how much getting Alvin Kamara back will change that, because the issue looked to me -- at least a good chunk of the time -- like it was a lack of push on the interior. We did see that interior OL group play well in camp, so maybe this was just an off day. Ford Field is a difficult place to play and perhaps the line was a bit out of sync with the inability to communicate. Whatever the case, that part of the game has to improve because asking Shough to drop back 50-plus times is a recipe for disaster.

DEPTH DEFENDERS

As was noted above, the Saints went into this game with the plan to rotate frequently along the defense. We saw Martin Emerson Jr. taking over series for Quincy Riley, who had ups and downs in a starting role. We saw Danny Stutsman covering series for Pete Werner. Colby Wooden got reps on the interior.

We also saw significant action from Anfernee Jennings and Tyree Wilson manning the edges. I'll have to review the tape, but I didn't come away feeling like that duo was particularly effective. Cam Jordan's return, potentially as early as next week, could make that scenario a bit different, but I really don't think we should be seeing extended runs of action without at least one of Carl Granderson or Chase Young on the field. That was the case for much of the Lions' 13 play, 96-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter -- their lone touchdown of the first half.

Now, I will say that I do appreciate Brandon Staley's willingness to find roles for guys. For instance, getting Emerson reps will not only help him stay sharp, but it'll keep Riley fresh throughout the game. I also thought Emerson played well and adds physicality to the secondary. But there's an important balance to strike between a healthy rotation and going too long without having star players on the field. I felt at times in this game the balance was off.

LIMITED (OR NO) REPS

It's tough to know exactly what might've looked different if the Saints had gotten their starters reps in the preseason. Would Shough and Co. have come out firing immediately if they'd gotten a series against the Cowboys? Honestly, I don't think they would’ve. The reality of today's NFL is that Week 1 looks like a preseason game that counts in the standings.

That's been the case for every game I've watched this week. One team wins, one team loses -- neither looks particularly ready or well oiled. Still, it's easy to make the argument that the amount of time it took the Saints offense to shake the rust off in this one is what cost them in a game that ended up being more winnable than I expected. Both defenses looked to be well ahead of the opposite side of the ball.

Perhaps there's nothing to be done. Perhaps the teams that can avoid pitfalls the best while shaking off their rust are destined to win Week 1 games until the end of time. But I don't believe the Saints should be looking at their process as a resounding success. It clearly didn't help them stave off injuries to key players and it also didn't help them look ready to play in Week 1. The conversation will effectively be at an end after this week, but I think all ideas should be on the table heading into next offseason.

A FEW MORE

The Lions have as impressive an array of playmakers as you'll find in the NFL, and I'm not sure the Saints really took away any of them. Jahmyr Gibbs went off for 156 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry). It seemed like he could get pretty much whatever he wanted and the only question was just how much the Lions are willing to run him into the ground. Of the 31 running back carries in the game, he got 29 of them. Meanwhile Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 10 passes and a pair of touchdowns, though he only piled up 67 yards total on the day. Sam Laporta had five catches for 48 yards and Jameson Williams had 4 for 45, though the Saints got lucky on a few plays that could've broken for big-gainers. You can't take everything away, but I think the Lions got to a bit too much in this game. ... I was often critical of Kellen Moore's in-game management last year, but I thought he handled this game very well on that front. There was only one critique I'd make and it was the decision to not use a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty on 2nd and 9 at the Detroit 15, trailing 21-14 midway through the 4th quarter. The Saints had all three timeouts at that point, and he opted to save them. They ultimately got back to 4th and 4 and settled for a field goal. It's tough to say whether they would've scored a touchdown if the timeout had been called, and having that extra stoppage did allow for the 62-yard attempt at the end of the game. Still, that drive felt too important to prioritize a timeout over avoiding 2nd and 14 in the red zone.