The Detroit Lions needed overtime and a moment of stellar defense to avoid a franchise-worst collapse against the New Orleans Saints to begin their 2026 NFL season.
What appeared to be a comfortable path to a Week 1 win became a contested, back-and-forth affair, with the Saints pushing the game to overtime after Juwan Johnson hauled in a touchdown with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Saints almost completed the 21-point comeback when kicker Daniel Carlson tried to knock through a 62-yard field goal at the buzzer, but he was wide right to force the first overtime game of the new campaign.
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But just like it was in the second half, the Lions and Saints both traded touchdowns, as Amon-Ra St. Brown scored to open up the extra period, while tight end Noah Fant caught one on the other side of the field on the ensuing drive.
The difference? New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore didn’t feel like tying the score anymore. He was going for the win with a two-point conversion.
After an 80-yard drive, the Saints wanted to walk it off with the victory, but the Lions’ defense came through when they needed it most. A three-man stack of receivers broke off for the Saints when the ball was snapped and quarterback Tyler Shough threw it up for rookie Bryce Lance, but the pass was broken up to the delight of everyone inside Ford Field in Detroit.
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The Lions celebrated their hard-fought victory, but it shouldn’t have been that close if you ask them.
If Detroit lost, their 21-point lead would’ve been the biggest in franchise history that they gave up in a defeat. So, this group, which has high hopes out of the NFC North this season, is happy not to be on the wrong side of history.
Things were going well for the Lions until Shough and company, who struggled throughout most of the game, finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter with a touchdown by running back Kendre Miller. From there, the Saints put together three more scoring drives, including a touchdown grab by Devaughn Vele and a field goal from Carlson.
The Lions will hope to clean up things defensively, but offensively, it’s clear as day what Jahmyr Gibbs can do, especially with an extra workload, now that David Montgomery is no longer in Detroit.
The star running back finished the game with 156 yards rushing with two scores on the ground, while hauling in five of Jared Goff’s passes for 30 yards. Gibbs turned 34 touches into 186 scrimmage yards, and that’s what many are expecting each week from one of the most explosive and dynamic offensive weapons in the sport each week.
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Meanwhile, Shough threw for 410 yards on 35-of-56 through the air, though he was intercepted twice by the Lions’ defense. Chris Olave, his top target, finished the game with 10 catches for 182 yards.
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