Lions Survive Saints After Blowing 21-Point Lead
The Detroit Lions opened the 2026 season with one of the wildest games of Week 1, escaping the New Orleans Saints 31-30 in overtime at Ford Field. Detroit appeared to have the game under control early, but New Orleans mounted an incredible comeback before ultimately falling short on a dramatic two-point attempt.
Lions Jump Out Early
Detroit came out firing and built a 21-point lead, putting the Saints in a massive hole.
The Lions’ offense found success early, while the defense kept New Orleans from generating much momentum. Detroit looked like it was headed toward a comfortable season-opening victory.
But the Saints weren’t finished.
Saints Mount Incredible Comeback
New Orleans completely flipped the game after falling behind.
Quarterback Tyler Shough led the Saints back, making several big throws and keeping the offense aggressive. New Orleans slowly erased Detroit’s advantage and eventually forced the game into overtime.
The comeback was especially impressive considering the Saints had trailed by three touchdowns earlier in the afternoon.
Overtime Comes Down To One Play
Detroit struck first in overtime when Amon-Ra St. Brown found the end zone, putting the Lions in position to finish the game.
New Orleans answered with a touchdown of its own, as Shough connected with Noah Fant for an 8-yard score.
Instead of kicking the extra point to continue the game, Saints head coach Kellen Moore decided to go for two and the win.
Shough’s pass into the end zone fell incomplete, ending the comeback and giving Detroit a thrilling 31-30 victory.
Detroit Escapes
The Lions will certainly take the victory, but the massive blown lead will give them plenty to work on heading into Week 2.
Detroit showed it can score and make big plays, but allowing a 21-point advantage to disappear is something the coaching staff won’t be happy about.
Still, when the final whistle sounded, the Lions were 1-0.
It wasn’t pretty, but Detroit found a way to survive one of the craziest season openers of the year.
