This Sunday, the New Orleans Saints will head to Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions in the 2026 regular season opener. To break it down, Ryan Mathews of Pride of Detroit joins us to preview this weekend’s matchup.
NJ: While the culture and competitive standards in Detroit have undeniably improved since Dan Campbell arrived in 2021, if the Lions fail to get over the hump again, could his seat potentially start to get hot?
RM: Detroit had steadily been improving, year after year, since Dan Campbell
took over as head coach of the Lions in 2021, but last season was ultimately a step back. The team floundered down the stretch, losing four of their final six games, but the 9-8 record was just the ninth winning season the Lions have posted since the year 2000—four of those have happened under Campbell’s tutelage. If the Lions return to the playoffs this season, his seat is as cool as the peanut butter and jelly sandwich your mother packed on top of the freezer pack for lunch. If the Lions miss the playoffs for a second year in a row, well, things might get to heating up for Detroit’s most successful head coach this century.
NJ: Who are some notable names who will be sidelined for the Lions on Sunday against the Saints?
RM: Much of the self loathing from fans in Detroit about the Lions comes from opining why injuries plague this franchise unlike any other team in the NFL. It’s true the injury bug has bitten them—so badly in 2024 that it’s become the inflection point for news of every injury since—but everyone’s got their own injury problems. Detroit comes into this matchup without their two starting safeties from a year ago. It’s unclear whether former All-Pro Kerby Joseph will ever play football again, Brian Branch is also on the PUP list after tearing his Achilles in December of last year, but there’s definitely been more encouraging updates about his progress back from injury. Still, being down a couple of playmaking safeties will challenge the veterans they brought in to replace them: Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox.
The Lions will also be without center Cade Mays, their big free-agent signing of the offseason, so they’ll need to rely on their return in the David Montgomery trade, interior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. The good news for Detroit is all of these injuries were known in early August, and that’s given them ample time to prepare their depth for starting roles.
NJ: What are some areas that New Orleans could potentially exploit based on what you saw from Detroit during training camp and throughout the preseason?
RM: There’s at least one area on each side of the ball that I need to see before I believe. On defense, it’s Detroit’s ability to marry their coverage and pass rush more consistently. The Lions were able to get teams into third down last season, and did a decent enough job in getting off the field—Detroit had the ninth-best third-down conversion rate against in 2025—but they allowed far too many big plays against them on third-and-long. Detroit finished with the third-worst time to pressure a year ago, but it looks like the Lions are going to get a bit more aggressive when it comes to their pass-rush plan based on their 53-man roster.
Over on the other side of the ball, it’s all about the offensive line. Detroit’s offense has long prided itself on being tougher and more physical up front than their opponents, running the ball to help set up opportunities in the pass game. Their identity strayed a bit last year, seeing their success rate in the run game take a dip from 61.1% in 2024 to 54.7% in 2025. General manager Brad Holmes has poured a ton of resources this offseason into rebuilding that offensive line, signing the aforementioned Cade Mays (who, again, will not play in this one) and drafting Blake Miller in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Last season, the Lions offensive line looked absolutely lost in their season opener against the Green Bay Packers, but this time they’re at home for this debut against the Saints. If the Saints can match the intensity and physicality of the Lions’ offense, there’s room for New Orleans to make this one interesting.
NJ: Who is one Lions player you think Saints fans should keep an eye on Sunday—someone who may not receive much national attention but could have a strong performance?
RM: Since it’s Week 1, it’s hard to gauge just how much playing time certain players, especially those tucked away on the depth chart, might get from the jump. But Campbell and the rest of the coaching staff have raved about the defensive line, and sixth-round rookie Skyler Gill-Howard was a huge standout this summer in Allen Park. He’s a penetrating defensive tackle who knows how to get skinny and slip past offensive linemen, and he’s got some freaky athleticism to boot, so he could be part of Detroit’s pass-rush plan as early as this week.
NJ: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions (-340) are currently 6.5-point favorites over the Saints (+275) in Sunday’s matchup; what is your final score prediction?
RM: The Saints are a really interesting team that, at full strength, seem like they could challenge for that NFC South crown this season. The Lions, however, are still one of the elite teams in the NFL. If this game was in New Orleans, there’d be more room for an upset, but Ford Field is a pretty raucous environment to walk into for this Saints team. Detroit wins this one, 31-17.
Thank you again to Ryan Mathews for joining us to preview this week’s matchup! You can check out the rest of his work here.
