The Detroit Lions begin the 2026 NFL season at home on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints from Ford Field.
The big storylines for the Lions include Blake Miller's debut at right tackle, the first game with Drew Petzing as Detroit's offensive coordinator and seeing how a secondary that is missing safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph to begin the season holds up.
New Orleans signed Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency after the 27-year old ran for 1,107 yards and totaled 1,399 total scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns a season ago with Jacksonville.
The Saints think they have found their quarterback of the future in Tyler Shough. Shough will be put to the test against a Lions defensive line that features star EDGE Aidan Hutchinson and new pieces
DJ Wonnum and rookie Derrick Moore.
As kickoff nears, here's a look at the updated betting odds and a best bet for the game:
Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints betting odds, best bets
The Lions open the season as a touchdown favorite over the Saints. New Orleans is without EDGE Cam Jordan and running back Alvin Kamara is questionable.
Conversely, beyond Branch and Joseph, the only Lions player that was listed on its Friday injury report was defensive back Christian Izien, who was designated as questionable.
Detroit has talked this offseason about how star back Jahmyr Gibbs is still just scratching the surface. Gibbs signed a long-term extension with the Lions this offseason. It includes escalators based upon Gibbs' receiving yardage. That's one more indication that the Lions want to use Gibbs more as a receiver.
For our best bet, per BetMGM, Gibbs' over/under on receiving yardage against the Saints is 31.5. Take the over on Gibbs' receiving yardage.
As for the game itself, it's Week 1, so some sloppiness both ways wouldn't be all that surprising. But, Petzing makes a strong first impression calling plays and the Lions' offense leads the way in its season-opening win.
Pick: Lions 31, Saints 20
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions vs. Saints: Odds, best bets, prediction
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