252 days after the Detroit Lions 2025 season ended by beating the Chicago Bears, Dan Campbell’s team suits up and goes again. Despite a winning record, missing the playoffs and finishing 4th in the North was ultimately a disappointment. The message going into 2026 has been one that’s simple: all-business. No shouting, no talking. Just business.
This is a Lions team that’s hungry to prove the doubters wrong, and show that last year was the exception – not the rule. If any coach has shown they can turn chips on shoulders into W column numbers, it’s Dan Campbell.
They start their 2026 campaign by hosting a New Orleans Saints side who impressed when rookie QB Tyler Shough took over the starting role last year mid-way through the season. Many people expect this Saints team, lead by second-year head coach Kellen Moore to be much better than the Saints of the last few years, and they will be keen to show everyone why they’re not to be messed with.
For Detroit, though, this is about setting the tone. It’s a new season, a clean slate and an opportunity to remind the rest of the NFC that the Lions are going nowhere.
Game Info and Odds
Date: Sunday, 13th September 2026
Kick-off: 6pm UK time (1pm ET)
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
How to watch in the UK: NFL GamePass on DAZN (UK)
Moneyline: Lions; 5/16, Sainss, 13/5
Spread: Lions -6.5
Over/Under: 49.5
The New Orleans Saints
It’s hard to say much about the Saints this season. The franchise is finally turning the ‘cap hell’ corner they’ve been pinned into for what feels like nearly a decade. They’ve built a decent roster that looked pretty good in the second half of the 2025 season, once rookie QB Tyler Shough took the starting job.
Their off-season wasn’t one of stars and flash, but of substance. They brought in Travie Etienne from the Jacksonville Jaguars to help veteran Alvin Kamara, and drafted WR Jordyn Tyson out of Arizona State. Tyson won’t be available this weekend due to being on IR, but he was my WR1 in the 2026 Draft because he is excellent. He’ll compliment the newly extended WR Chris Olave who had a career-year in 2025, which included being selected as a Second-team All-Pro.
With the NFC South such a shaky division, and their clear improvements across the board, this Saints team could be forgiven if they felt like they a playoff appearance is on the cards this year. They swept the eventual division winners (Carolina Panthers) in 2025, and split their series with the Buccaneers. However, those 3 divisional wins accounted for half of their win total last season and 4 of their 6 wins came in the final 5 games.
Kellen Moore enters his second year at the helm in NOLA, and with that comes an expectation to be better than last year. They retain their OC and DC from last year, so barring a major injury, they can expect growth.
3 Keys to the Game
Jahmyr Gibbs
Arguably the best player on the Lions’ offense, Jahmyr Gibbs isn’t going top 2/3 in fantasy drafts for no reason. With no David Montgomery to split reps with, and Isaiah Pacheco not available, you can expext the Lions’ explosive running back to take the role of a true 3 down back.
Dan Campbell & Drew Pretzing believe in Gibbs to take on the full workload and it’s easy to see why. With back-to-back 1800+ yards from scrimmage seasons and 3 seasons in-a-row with 10+ rushing touchdowns, the 24-year-old has shown every reason to put the trust in him so far.
As I said on the ‘Saints, City and Me‘ podcast a few days ago (go show them some love, please); this isn’t always about just how good and explosive Gibbs is on his own. It’s about his ability to open up the playbook. The Lions are a run-first team and if the run game gets going, so does the rest of the offense. Jahmyr Gibbs unlocks Amon-Ra, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa.
Defensive Backs vs. Chris Olave
I won’t lie, I laughed when I first heard the term ‘Legion of Whom’ last year. It’s clever. But, it’s also disrespectful to players who are starting NFL games for a playoff contender. It’s no secret, though, that without one of the best Safety-duos in the league, and losing a first-round cornerback has depleted a defense that has struggled at the best of times.
In 2025, the Lions’ defense allowed 4027 passing yards (21st in the NFL), 31 passing touchdowns (27th in the NFL), with 7.3 yards-per-attempt in the air (23rd in the NFL). They were also 28th in the NFL in 20+ yard completions allowed (58).
In previous years, it’s often felt like the Lions’ defense gets decimated by WR1s and with someone as talented as Chris Olave, that is a genuine possibility again. If Olave can establish himself early, and win those matchups vs. what’ll likely be Rock Ya-Sin or D.J Reed, it could be a difficult afternoon at Ford Field. Possibly even a shootout.
Rust (Anybody? No? Rust…)
It’s week one and this is EVERYBODY’s worst enemy. The famous phrase “week one is a liar” is true. The question here is “which of these two teams is the least rusty?”
There’s not a whole lot to comment on here, other than the; according to Ian Hartitz, the Lios have the 13th youngest roster in the NFL (25.93). As opposed to the Saints, who have the 9th youngest roster (25.79). That bit more experience may help the teams on the day. However, this is something we won’t really know until pads hit pads.
Summary
The Lions are (rightfully) favourites in this game, but this isn’t something we should take lightly. Week one throws out some funny ol’ results, and doesn’t necessarily show us anything real regarding the rest of the season. Regardless, this is a great opportunity to make a huge statement. They want to tell the rest of the league not that they are back, but that they never really left. On the other hand, Kellen Moore will have his side ready to show the league that they have arrived. The new New Orleans Saints are here.
I’m confident in a Lions win, and frankLy – without wanting to be disrespectful to our opponents this weekend – see a win by at least 2 scores. I’m calling it 31-17 in favour of the Motor City Kitties. 100+ yards and a touchdown on the ground from Gibbs with another in the air. St. Brown to get at least 70 yards and a touchdown and maybe get some Jamo action in there too. I’m also looking at some Aidan Hutchinson sacktion in there for good measure.
