Week 1 of the NFL season resulted in defeat for the New Orleans Saints as they dropped a 31-30 overtime thriller at the Detroit Lions. The game took on a far different look in the final quarter and a half, as the Saints turned a blundering 21-0 deficit into a 24-all tie to end regulation and were a 2-point overtime conversion away from grabbing an improbable upset victory.
Mistakes, woeful offensive play, and the struggles of the run defense drove New Orleans into a three touchdown hole midway through the third quarter. Suddenly, the Saints woke up, especially on offense, and had Detroit on their heels the rest of the contest. In the loss, New Orleans outgained Detroit by a 469-369 margin in total yardage. However, the Saints could not overcome
three costly turnovers, a poor start, and a blatantly corrupt overturn of a Jonas Sanker touchdown return of a Chase Young sack and forced fumble. Despite the 0-1 start, there were a few standout stars on the New Orleans side. Here were the biggest.
Game Ball 3: Tyler Shough
It's true that Shough's poor play was one of the big reasons for the 21-0 hole. He was a horrendous 10 of 23 for 85 yards and 2 interceptions along with a lost fumble over his first eight drive. Boy, did Shough and the Saints wake up at the midway point of the third quarter. New Orleans scored on five of their last six possessions, putting up 30 points with only the miss of a 62-yard field at the end of regulation.
On those six drives, Shough completed 25 of 33 throws for 325 yards with 3 touchdown passes. In the game, his 35 completions were the most in franchise history with his 410 passing yards the second highest above all Saints quarterbacks not named Drew Brees. While it's true that Shough needs to get off to better starts and eliminate the wild inconsistencies, he also showed the poise and skills of a potential star.
Game Ball 2: Saints' team poise
This one deservedly goes to the entire squad for their fight and resilience. Many young and rebuilding teams would have folded after falling to the 21-0 deficit on the road against a very good Detroit squad. Instead, the Saints rebounded and looked like a completely different team over the last 21 minutes of regulation and into overtime. Coach Kellen Moore and his team have some things to clean up before their Week 2 game at the Baltimore Ravens. However, New Orleans also showed that they can go toe-to-toe with a contender on the road.
Game Ball 1: Chris Olave
Olave and Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs were nearly unstoppable for each side. Chris Olave certainly looked like he'll be on a mission to show that he deserved every cent of his offseason contract extension. He and Devaughn Vele were the two most consistent offensive stars for New Orleans.
The second half comeback by the Saints was started with Olave making an acrobatic 47-yard catches on an off-target throw from Shough. Whenever the Saints needed a play, it seemed like either Olave or Vele were the ones making it until tight end Juwan Johnson finally got involved late. Olave had a game-high 10 receptions and 182 receiving yards on 13 targets. The 182 yards were a career-high, with the 10 catches equalled a career best. That Chris Olave was a featured weapon is no surprise, but the fifth-year receiver looked like he belongs among the NFL's elite wideouts.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Game balls from the Saints' thrilling 31-30 overtime loss at the Lions
