NFL opening week saw one overtime result when the New Orleans Saints visited the Detroit Lions. It was a highly entertaining contest, but one that the Saints lost in overtime by a 31-30 score. New Orleans spun their wheels offensively well into the third quarter, turning the ball over three times and driving into Detroit territory only once. Two of those turnovers led to easy Lions scores early into the second half that put the Saints in a 21-0 hole. After that, the New Orleans offense woke up and dominated the rest of this contest.
New Orleans actually outgained the Lions 469-369 in total yardage. Only a missed 2-point attempt at the end of overtime prevented the Saints from a road upset. It was a game of wild ups and downs, with none wilder
than New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough. We've already covered the good, bad, and ugly from Shough individually. Now, here's the rest of Sunday's ups and downs from New Orleans.
The Good: Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele
Shough's receivers didn't do him any favors with five drops. However, Olave and Vele were clutch targets throughout the afternoon. Olave achieved a career-high with 182 receiving yards while matching a career-best 10 catches. No player had more receptions or yardage in Week 1, with 7 of Olave's catches resulting in a first down. Vele was only slightly less productive, pulling in 7 passes for 69 yards and a score.
More than just the numbers was the when and how Olave and Vele had their statistics. Both came up huge in critical moments, making several diving or acrobatic catches on off-target throws. Most importantly, their effectiveness opened the field for Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, and Bryce Lance to make big plays later in the game. It's clear that Shough and the Saints will have far more offensive weapons in 2026. However, it is just as clear that Olave and Vele, along with Johnson, are Shough's most trusted targets. Against Detroit, each were responsible for keeping the Saints in the game and for their exciting comeback.
The Bad: Saints Run Defense
Through the first two and a half quarters, there was plenty to choose from. However, the most consistently frustrating part of the day for the Saints was their inability to stop the run. They never could find a solution for Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 156 yards with 2 scores and was responsible for an incredible 14 first downs. Gibbs also caught 5 passes for 30 yards and another first down.
As a team, the Lions rushed for 165 yards. Gibbs averaged a highly concerning 5.4 per carry. The Saints did a good job containing an explosive Detroit passing attack and Jahmyr Gibbs will victimize a lot of defenses. However, the Saints were not able to keep Gibbs from taking over this game. New Orleans must do a far better job at stopping the run to avoid many similar results to the one they suffered on Sunday.
The Ugly: NFL officiating
It's easy to point this out for nearly every game in nearly every week. That in itself is a huge problem. Still, you will rarely find a call as blatantly incompetent (corrupt?) as the reversal of a strip sack by Chase Young resulting in a fumble return by a touchdown return by Jonas Sanker. Even if replay could conclusively show that quarterback Jared Goff's arm was moving forward (it Wasn't), then the ''pass'' clearly went backward, meaning a lateral and a free ball. Memo to Goodell mouthpiece Mike Pereira: the results of Sunday's game should be reversed, since it was the Saints' ''intent'' to win the game.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Good, bad, and ugly from the Saints' wild 31-30 loss to the Lions
