DETROIT – The Detroit Lions have big goals for the 2026 season and a big Week 2 matchup Thursday night in Buffalo. Even after a first-half call that nullified the New Orleans Saints’ fumble, that season nearly got derailed at home Sunday.
After scoring early, the Saints rolled the dice in overtime and trailed by two. But Tyler Shaw — who had a monster second half and finished with 410 passing yards and three touchdowns — threw it too high to Bryce Lance in the back of the end zone, and relief could be heard at Ford Field as Detroit escaped with a 31-30 victory.
The Saints rallied from 21 points down with 1:07 left in the game and missed a 62-yard field goal attempt. Jared Goff caught Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown reception on a 10-play, 70-yard drive in overtime, Shough connected with Noah Fant for an 8-yard TD.
The Saints could have folded after a second-quarter replay reversal took a touchdown off the board. Chase Young knocked the ball away from the field and after a fumble, Jonas Sanker picked it up and ran in for a 7-yard TD. However, the officials ruled that Goff’s throwing motion had started and the game was overturned with the Lions leading 7-0.
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Great games from the Saints @ Lions
The Lions led 21-0 after forcing a pair of Saints punts in the third quarter. New Orleans then scored on four consecutive possessions to tie the game at 24 when Shaw hit Juan Johnson for a 9-yard TD with 1:07 left. After a defensive stop, Daniel Carlson’s 62-yard attempt sailed several feet as time expired.
Jahmir Gibbs ran for 156 yards and had two rushing TDs for the Lions (1-0). Goff has struggled to get much in the passing game. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 206 yards and two TDs.
The Lions have a lot of work to do in the short term before they travel to Buffalo. Things won’t be easy for the visiting Saints in Baltimore, but they will be confident.
Lions took a break in the first half
In the second quarter, with the Lions leading 7-0, Saints edge young Penny Sewell beat Goff to the rim. At first glance, it looked like a fluke – but it was ruled a backward pass that was picked up by the Saints for a touchdown on first down. After further review, the officials changed the call to a forward pass, citing that Goff had initiated the passing motion before losing control of the ball. This made the pass incomplete. Instead of a New Orleans touchdown that could have tied the game while waiting for one extra point, the Lions punted.
.@MikePereira He breaks down why the Saints touchdown was flipped.
📺: Fox pic.twitter.com/vY2N7CIBBG
— Fox Sports: NFL (@NFLONFOX) September 13, 2026
Fox legal analyst Mike Pereira explained why the call was overturned on air.
“He’s started his bowling action,” Pereira said of Goff. “Now the throwing motion is to lift the ball up. At this point, forget about going forward. The throwing motion starts, the hand goes up, then it is hit, the ball is released. The purpose was to throw the ball forward, and since that motion has already started, that will be a forward pass, no matter where it lands.
Of course the Lions caught a big break, and the Saints felt robbed of a touchdown. There should be a Poole report on the game after the game, so it will be interesting to see if these comments resonate with Perera. But on the surface, it’s definitely a rule-scratcher.
Here’s what the two coaches had to say after the game:
“A bit of a challenge, but I understand what the rules are,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. Once the arm is moving, it doesn’t matter where the ball goes, there is protection, it’s a sad result for us.
“Here, I’ll take that,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “You know, I’ll be the first to say that, you know, I thought we lost that, but his arm was going forward, he had forward motion, that’s how they saw it, we got one.” You know, we’ll take that.
Drew Petzing’s first work
What should we make of Drew Petzing’s debut as Lions OC? It is worth discussing. Considering it’s Week 1 and the starters haven’t played a ton together in the preseason, you might give him a bit of a pass. At the beginning of the year there is usually some rust to shake this off. But how different would it be if the defense didn’t lead by 14 points in the second half and give the offense a comfortable field position?
Jameson Williams had several drops and a bobble tip leading to a TFL. A New Orleans defensive touchdown was overturned after a questionable review. Sam LaPorta had a relatively quiet day, Sewell looked human at times, Goff was held to just under 200 yards passing in regulation and the offense seemed to rely heavily on Jahmir Gibbs’ 34 touchdowns.
Of course, it’s hard to complain about his offense when he scores 31 points. The fact that we are having this discussion speaks to our standards for this group. You take the win, but this wasn’t as pretty as the whole point suggests.
Detroit Defense: A Tale of Two Halves
The Lions started off impressively defensively – the kind they believed could punch above their weight as they waited for reinforcements. Maybe not so much anymore, after varying levels of success in those halves.
In the first half, the Lions held the Saints to 111 yards. Tyler Shaw was just 10-of-22 for 85 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, while the rushing defense allowed just 34 yards on 11 attempts. That level carried over to the third quarter. Derek Barnes recorded an interception and Roger McCreary forced a fumble that was recovered by the Lions. Then it was downhill…
Chuck prefers the show! pic.twitter.com/kdLBQzDgX0
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 13, 2026
The Saints totaled 358 yards in the second half and overtime in this contest, all of which accounted for 30 points. Shaw could have shaped this second phase any way he wanted. Chris Olave has done a lot of damage. New Orleans used a 24-3 run to tie the game and send it to overtime.
It didn’t stop there. When New Orleans received the ball in overtime, they scored in short order and tried to turn the game into a two-point game. Shaw’s pass was ultimately incomplete, which saved the day for the defense. But what was concerning — and frankly, shocking — was the second-half performance of this defense.
Tyler Shaw finished Sunday with a career-high 410 yards, three TD passes and two interceptions. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Tyler Shaw, an MVP candidate?
Yep, that’s a knee-jerk reaction to Week 1. Ignore it, though Do not ignore what the show did on Sunday on board. The sophomore quarterback was fantastic in the second half and nearly pulled off the biggest upset to open the NFL season.
But to appreciate what he did, you have to go back to the last four games, when the Saints won three of their last four. His lines then:
• 24-20 win over Panthers: 24-32 for 272 yards, TD
• 29-6 win over Jets: 32-49 for 302 yards, TD
• 34-26 win over Titans: 22-27 for 333 yards, 2 TDs
• 19-17 in loss to Falcons: 23-35 for 259 yards, TD, INT
He finished Sunday with a career-high 410 yards with three TD passes and two interceptions. After the Saints’ first two drives of the second half ended in a fumble and fumble, New Orleans scored on five of its last six drives of the game — the only time it didn’t score was Carlson’s 62-yard field goal at the end of regulation.
That includes drives of 79 yards (TD), 54 yards (TD), 66 yards (FG), 75 yards (TD), 36 yards (missed FG) and 80 yards in overtime (TD).
The Saints weren’t the favorite to compete for the NFC South title, but with efforts like this from Shaw and his receivers — Chris Olave had 10 receptions for 183 yards — it might be worth rethinking their place in the division.
