New Orleans
Saints
0-0
52
FINAL
25
Detroit
Lions
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe New Orleans Saints opened the 2026 season with a commanding 52-25 victory over the Detroit Lions, showcasing their offensive firepower and sending a strong message in Week 1. With playoff aspirations on the line, this win sets the tone for a promising season ahead for the Saints and raises questions for the Lions as they seek to regroup.
Tyler Shough was the star of the show for New Orleans, throwing for an impressive 416 yards and five touchdowns, while also contributing 27 rushing yards. Jordyn Tyson emerged as his favorite target, racking up 160 receiving yards to keep the Lions' defense on its heels throughout the game. The Saints' offense was relentless, consistently finding ways to exploit mismatches and put points on the board.
Defensively, the Saints made their mark with Bryan Bresee leading the charge, recording 1.5 sacks to disrupt the Lions' offense. Lorenzo Styles Jr. added an interception, which proved to be a critical turning point, halting a potential scoring drive for Detroit and allowing New Orleans to extend their lead. The Saints' ability to pressure the quarterback and create turnovers ultimately solidified their dominance in this matchup.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 35 | 20 | 57% | 416 | 5 | 1 | 126.9 |
| Jared Goff | QB | 33 | 17 | 52% | 291 | 3 | 3 | 74.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Isiah Pacheco | HB | 7 | 20 | 2.9 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Spencer Rattler | QB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Barion Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | HB | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 3 | -5 | -1.7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 5 | 160 | 32.0 | 28 | 2 | 34 | 0 |
| Sam LaPorta | TE | 8 | 140 | 17.5 | 59 | 1 | 35 | 0 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | 6 | 122 | 20.3 | 27 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| Bryce Lance | WR | 1 | 51 | 51.0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 43 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Isaac TeSlaa | WR | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 19 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Tyler Conklin | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Jameson Williams | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Melton | CB | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Bresee | REDG | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| D.J. Reed | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | FS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Roger McCreary | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alim McNeill | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chuck Clark | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Moore | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Christian Izien | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kerby Joseph | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Riley | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jack Campbell | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Branch | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Skyler Gill-Howard | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Barnes | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Stalbird | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bates | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 49 |
| Jack Fox | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Carlson | K | 1 | 1 | 7 | 23 |

