A win is a win, right?
The Detroit Lions beat the New Orleans Saints, 31-30, in overtime of Week 1 at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13.
The Lions jumped out to a 21-0 lead after two quick touchdowns in the third quarter but then allowed 17 unanswered points from the Saints on three consecutive drives. The Lions finally scored with 2:32 left, but it was a field goal, not a touchdown like it should've been if not for a costly holding penalty. The Saints then drove down to tie it, 24-24, forced a three-and-out from the Lions and had a 62-yard field goal to tie the game, but missed, sending it to overtime.
The Lions' offense finally snapped out of it in OT, putting together a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to take a 31-24 lead, then the defense
allowed another score but stopped the two-point conversion to save the day.
Jared Goff finished the day 26-for-39 passing with 209 yards and two touchdowns, while Jahmyr Gibbs had a massive day with 29 carries and 156 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Derrick Barnes had a big day on defense with an interception and a sack.
The first half was sloppy for the Lions, as they took a 7-0 lead into the half in what could've easily been a tied game had they not caught a break on a fumble-six that was overturned and ruled a Goff incompletion. Gibbs later had a fumble as the Lions were driving, resulting in just a one-score lead at the half despite the defense forcing five punts and an interception.
Things couldn't have started much better in the second half, as Barnes intercepted Tyler Shough on the first play of the third quarter, which led to a Gibbs touchdown. Three plays later, the Saints turned it over again when Shough fumbled on a Roger McCreary sack, which led to Amon-Ra St. Brown's first touchdown of the year on a 19-yard catch against what looked like blown coverage for a 21-0 lead.
Then the Saints got red-hot, scoring 24 points on four straight scoring drives and another in overtime before missing the two-point conversion.
Up next
The Lions play the Buffalo Bills on a short week, Thursday, Sept. 17, in the first game at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium. The Bills are an AFC Super Bowl contender and probably the best opponent on the Lions’ schedule this season, with Josh Allen a perennial MVP candidate at quarterback and a defense that led the NFL in passing yards against last year.
Complicating matters: No road team has won a stadium opener since the Chicago Bears beat the San Francisco 49ers in the first game at Levi’s Stadium in 2014, so it should be an electric environment.
This story will be updated shortly.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions choke 21 point second-half lead, but rally to beat Saints in OT
