The Detroit Lions will open their 2026 regular season against the New Orleans Saints, hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season. The Lions will get the advantage of hosting this game in Detroit, and the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook have set the opening betting line at Lions -6.5 points.
The Saints finished 2025 with a 6-11 record under first-time head coach (and former Lions backup quarterback) Kellen Moore. While they certainly underwhelmed, they finished the season strong, with four
of those wins coming in the final five games of the regular season.
“This is a hungry opponent,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “It’s a lot of young, hungry players, talented players. You could see their progression as the season went on last year; they started playing pretty good football—minus Atlanta, in that last game.”
This offseason, the Saints prioritized upgrading their offense and plugging holes on defense.
One of the Saints’ biggest offseason moves was upgrading their guard positions. They signed starting left guard David Edwards in free agency, then added rookie Jeremiah Wright (a fourth-round pick) to the mix to challenge Cesar Ruiz, who is entering his seventh year as a starter (mainly at right guard) for the Saints.
They invested in youth at their skill positions, signing running back Travis Etienne to complement Alvin Kamara, but Kamara is dealing with an MCL injury and is expected to miss the opener. The Saints also drafted three wide receivers—Jordyn Tyson (first round), Bryce Lance (fourth), and Barion Brown (sixth)—and a tight end—Oscar Delp (third)—and all four are expected to contribute as rookies. Unfortunately, the Saints will have to wait to see the eighth overall pick take the field as Tyson landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and will miss the first four games of the season; Lance is expected to start in his place. Delp will open the season as TE3 and will challenge free-agent acquisition Noah Fant for TE2 reps.
On defense, the Saints lost one of their best players in starting linebacker Demario Davis, but re-signed Kaden Ellis to fill his role. Along the defensive line, 2023 first-round pick Bryan Bresee is out for the season with a torn ACL and is expected to be replaced by 2025 third-round pick Vernon Broughton. The Saints are banking on 2025 picks corner Quincy Riley (second) and nickelback Jonas Sanker (third) to step into vacated roles in their secondary.
The Lions and Saints will square off on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Ford Field in Detroit.
