Look how far we’ve come! It’s officially NFL season, and the New Orleans Saints will travel to Michigan to take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Lions are currently 6.5-point favorites.
Despite leading the way in predictions to come out with the win, Sunday’s matchup is very winnable for the Black and Gold. By utilizing their strengths and taking advantage of these key matchups, the Saints could start the season 1-0.
Saints WRs vs. Lions’ Secondary
There is one glaring way the Saints can win on Sunday, and it all revolves around the Lions’ secondary. Detroit will be without their starting safety pair, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, along with losing their former first-round pick, Terrion Arnold, after off-field issues.
On the flip side, New Orleans totally revamped their receiver room in the offseason, adding three wideouts in the draft. While the star of the offseason, Jordyn Tyson, won’t be active for the game as he deals with an injury, Bryce Lance and Barion Brown have each made their own waves during training camp, opening a big opportunity for them to stand out in their NFL debuts.
And of course, we can’t talk about the Saints receiver room without bringing up their $124 million man in Chris Olave. The fifth-year wideout is poised for his biggest season yet with his growing connection with Tyler Shough. Olave was Shough’s go-to target during the team’s 4-1 stretch to end the season, and that connection has only grown through the offseason and training camp.
With promising rookies, the star power of Olave, and the return of Devaughn Vele, New Orleans’ wideouts should have a big day in the season debut.
Saints run defense vs. RB Jahmyr Gibbs
The inevitable decider of the game will be determined by the Saints’ ability to slow down running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The consensus first-overall pick in fantasy football is poised to have a big season with Detroit moving on from veteran running back David Montgomery, handing the keys of the offense to their fourth-year superstar.
The Saints were solid against the run in 2025, but will be missing a key piece to that run defense. Demario Davis left in free agency to rejoin the New York Jets, leaving a large hole in their defense. New Orleans, however, swiftly replaced Davis with Kaden Ellis. While Ellis isn’t the same caliber of player as Davis, he is one of the top players at his position in the league and slots in nicely for the Saints.
The Lions offense is full of firepower. Outside of Gibbs, Jared Goff has Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta as weapons. Despite this, the Black and Gold significantly increase their chances of winning by slowing down the run game and forcing the Lions through the air, but it definitely won’t be easy.
Saints run game vs. Lions run defense
Detroit will certainly try to expose the Saints’ offense in Week 1, likely by taking advantage of the inexperience at quarterback. While team’s respect Shough a lot more after his hot finish to the season, the age-old tendency says to blitz the young quarterback.
For the Saints to counter this, they’ll need to establish the run, something they emphasized in the offseason. New Orleans brought in star running back Travis Etienne and signed David Edwards to a big contract. These moves were made shortly after free agency opened, emphasizing that the Saints want to build on their run game.
While the Lions have made some improvements to their run defense, they ranked in the bottom half of the league in 2025, allowing 4.4 yards per carry. If the Saints can get a strong run game established with Etienne, it will open up the offense for their young quarterback and take the pressure off.
