Winning in the NFL is never easy, and the Detroit Lions learned why in Week 1.
After taking a dominant 21-0 lead over the New Orleans Saints, the Lions failed to close out the game as the Saints rallied back. If not for a failed two-point conversion in overtime, the Lions would have walked away with a stunning loss. Instead, it is a humbling victory: the Lions have talent up and down the roster, but there are kinks to iron out soon.
Which players walked away as winners and losers from the Lions’ first
game of the 2026 season?
Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
In his first game as the official bell cow of the Lions backfield, Gibbs did not disappoint. With an inconsistent passing attack, Gibbs largely led the offense. He rattled off 156 yards on 29 carries (a new career-high), yet perhaps the most impressive part of that stat line is that his longest was just 21 yards. No breakaway runs inflated his average of 5.4 yards per attempt; it was just consistent gains throughout the game—aside from a few losses where he tried to make something out of nothing. In fact, Gibbs averaged more yards on the ground than Jared Goff did through the air (5.3 yards per attempt).
We all know Gibbs is an elite weapon on offense, so these stats aren’t new for him. What impressed me the most is that he held up all game. The Lions are going to lean on Gibbs early and often this season, and if he can consistently handle carrying the ball over 25 times in a game without sacrificing efficiency, that is a recipe for success.
Winner: Derrick Barnes, LB
Spider-Man Barnes played this game with web-shooters of his own. After a tough 2025 campaign, Barnes needed a rebound this season to not only justify his contract, but justify a spot on the team long-term. If this is what we are getting in 2026, the Lions are in a good spot.
Barnes was a force on Sunday. After missing a tackle early in the game, Barnes locked in the rest of the way. As a run defender, he was stout, racking up a tackle for loss and multiple run stops. In coverage, Barnes looked surprisingly stellar. He reeled in an interception on the first play of the second half, with the Lions promptly turning that into a touchdown. He also added two critical pass breakups, one of which broke up a touchdown in overtime (although the Saints scored on the very next play). Oh, and he had a sack too—a complete game for Barnes.
If the Lions can get Barnes playing at a high level with Jack Campbell, you have to be optimistic about this linebacking duo.
Dan Campbell was a fan:
Loser: Jameson Williams, WR
On a day when the Lions offense was quiet through the air, they needed a playmaker like Williams to step up. Instead, he had a rough season debut. He finished the game with four catches for 45 yards, but it should have been far more than that.
Late in the first quarter, Goff threw a perfect deep ball to Williams, but it bounced off both hands. On that same drive, he had another near-catch, but it was broken up at the last second by a defender—hard to say if it should have been caught, but I’m still waiting for a good replay, FOX. In the second quarter, he bobbled a reverse pitch (although Goff said it was a “crappy pitch” from himself). In the third quarter, Williams failed to corral a third-down pass, ending the drive. With under a minute left in the game, another ball went off the fingertips of Williams, forcing a punt.
We all know how explosive he can be, and despite a 1,117-yard season last year, his ceiling could be even higher. However, if you are a dynamic playmaker with the ball in your hands, you need to keep the ball in your hands.
Winner: Juice Scruggs, C
The whole offensive line deserves props for a solid outing (as Goff said himself). Penei Sewell looked like a natural at left tackle, while Tate Ratledge and Blake Miller were stout on the right side of the line. Ben Bartch, filling in for an injured Christian Mahogany, had some positive moments. However, I want to give attention to Scruggs in particular.
Scruggs was already penciled in as the starting center due to Cade Mays’ injury back in training camp, but there was some concern about how he would perform. The Lions’ run game had thrived under Frank Ragnow’s command, but when they had to pivot to Graham Glasgow in 2025, the offensive line regressed—they could not afford a repeat in 2026.
Thankfully, Scruggs showed up. A lot of Gibbs’ success on the ground can be attributed to Scruggs blocking open lanes for him. As for pass protection, Goff was kept clean for most of the game, with Scruggs in particular rarely allowing pressure up the middle. Scruggs looked like a starter, which is something that most teams cannot say about their backup center. Mays will surely regain that spot when he is healthy, but Scruggs profiles as a top-tier reserve—and he could perhaps challenge for the left guard spot as was originally planned.
Loser: Rock Ya-Sin, CB
For as good as the defense looked on Sunday, Ya-Sin was unfortunately an outlier. The Lions’ CB2 is an asset in run defense, but he had a tough performance in coverage. He was flagged for illegal contact in the second quarter, albeit on a very iffy call. His next penalty, a pass interference call late in the third, gave the Saints life on third down. On the very next goal line play, Ya-Sin was beat badly by Devaugh Vele for an easy touchdown grab.
D.J. Reed had a decent outing (though he allowed a 43-yarder to Chris Olave late), but that second cornerback spot looks like a glaring weakness. Remember, the Lions play in a division with receiving duos Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, and Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. Do we trust both Reed and Ya-Sin to hold up? Ya-Sin redeemed himself by breaking up a game-winning two-point attempt in overtime, but he was beat in coverage too often for me to feel comfortable.
Unless the Lions can get a rebound from Ya-Sin, you have to wonder what the solution to this problem could be. Do you give Roger McCreary, Keith Abney, or Ennis Rakestraw some looks outside? Do you go shopping for a player like Joey Porter Jr. and his contract demands? I expect Ya-Sin to be the starter going forward, but I need some more encouraging play.
Winner: Defensive line
I was very impressed with the defensive line. Five total sacks looks good on paper, but there was more to this performance than just sacks. Each member of that unit was clogging running lanes and bringing heat on a consistent basis.
Aidan Hutchinson got two of the sacks, one of which came against a running back—a staggering mismatch for the Saints. Alim McNeill had a crucial sack in overtime, a play that would normally win you the game. Barnes had his aforementioned sack, but you have to credit Hutchinson, Skyler-Gill Howard, and DJ Wonnum for collapsing the pocket and forcing Tyler Shough to step into Barnes. Even on Roger McCreary’s strip sack, it was the defensive line eating up blockers that allowed McCreary to slip by unopposed.
Gill-Howard in particular stood out. He had his moments, sure, but what really surprised me was the sheer volume of snaps. Per PFF, he played 47 snaps on defense, more than Chuck Clark, Roger McCreary, and even fellow defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. The Lions clearly love him in that pass rushing role, and if the Lions continue to jump out to early leads, expect him to stay busy.
The promising thing is that the Lions still have room to improve—Gill-Howard, Williams, and Derrick Moore are still growing. This could be a great defensive line before too long.
Loser: Sione Vaki, RB
Vaki had a rough outing as RB2 behind the workhorse Gibbs. He played a decent number of snaps (22 per PFF), but his impact was more negative than positive. On his first snap of the game, he missed a blocking assignment, resulting in Jared Goff getting plastered by a blitzing Kaden Eliss. Later on in the first half, he clipped Penei Sewell while he was engaged with Chase Young. This led to Sewell losing the edge and Goff getting hit—a play that would have been a strip-sack touchdown if not for an obscure NFL rule. The Lions also gave Vaki a carry on second-and-goal from the 13-yard line—this is more of a questionable play call than a bad play from Vaki; I simply wonder what the Lions’ train of thought was.
He was largely relegated to third-down duties, but if he is not running the football (two carries for seven yards), catching the football (one catch for 11 yards), or pass protecting, it is hard to justify having him on the field besides giving Gibbs a breather. Even in that case, you could argue that Jacob Saylors showed more in preseason to warrant that RB2 role.
Winner: Tay Martin, WR/ST
Martin did not make a note on offense (zero snaps), but he made his mark on special teams. Martin was a menace in coverage. On the second punt of the day, he got right into the face of returner Barion Brown, chirping as he made a fair catch. Lo and behold, on the very next punt, it was Martin who stopped Brown for a gain of four yards—Martin was surely chirping in that moment. On the next punt, Martin buried Brown for zero yards, again flexing his special teams prowess. Later in the third quarter, Martin made it a trio of special teams tackles, shutting down Brown on a kickoff return at the Saints’ 21-yard line.
I do not expect Martin to see the field much on offense this year, but if he continues to play like this on special teams, he will more than justify his roster spot.
