The Detroit Lions open their 2026 season at home against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and the pressure is already real in Allen Park.
Sure, the home team will be favored. Sure, the odds point the Lions’ way.
But New Orleans finished last season with a stronger second half than people may remember, and this won’t be the kind of opener you can sleepwalk through. The Saints bring a solid offense and a defense that figures to compete even without Cameron Jordan.
That matters because Detroit’s road back to the playoffs needs to start cleanly. A win in Week 1 would matter even more with a short week looming and a trip to the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 2. Falling to 0-2 is still a bad place to start, and the Lions know the usual answer applies here: “win the ones you're supposed”.
And for a few players, Sunday already feels like a test with consequences.
Christian Mahogany sits at the top of that list. Dan Campbell has gone out of his way not to hand him the left guard job outright, even floating the idea of a rotation with Ben Bartch against the Saints.
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, especially with Bartch having missed a big chunk of camp because of injury. Mahogany has flashed some promise after an illness delayed the start of his rookie season and an injury last year, but the Lions are still waiting for him to grab the spot and make it his own.
Along with Ennis Rakestraw, the fragile hopes left from a rough 2024 draft class lean heavily on what happens next.
Rakestraw is another player who can’t afford a slow start. Injuries have wrecked his last three seasons of football, going back to his final year at Missouri, and now that he’s healthy he’s being asked to do more. He’s one of the last real holdovers from that 2024 class, and Week 1 is the first chance to show this season is different.
The safety situation also puts a handful of Lions in the spotlight right away. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are both out for at least the first four games, which pushes Thomas Harper, Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark into much larger roles. Campbell can project confidence all he wants, but those absences have to be covered on the field.
Clark has had a long and capable career, and he bounced back nicely in Pro Football Focus grade last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still, that came in the lowest snap share and fewest snaps he’s had in a healthy season in a long time, and he hasn’t picked off a pass since 2022.
Maddox adds savvy and versatility, and he could also see time in the slot while taking snaps at safety. Harper, meanwhile, was a charter member of last year’s “Legion of Whom”, finishing with one interception, five pass breakups and the 11th-best overall grade among safeties from PFF.
A preseason injury seems to be behind him now, and the Lions need him to take another step with Joseph out.
Then there’s Jake Bates, whose footing already looks a little shaky after a downturn last season and a rough preseason. Campbell and special teams coach Dave Fipp have backed him publicly, but that support can only stretch so far.
If Bates starts missing extra points or leaves points on the board with a crucial field goal against the Saints, the conversation changes fast. In a season this important, Detroit can’t afford to lose to a team like New Orleans because of missed kicks.
Sunday is only Week 1, but for these six Lions, the wall is already there.
In Other News...
Lions Suddenly Have A Week 1 Depth Concern Fans Should Watch
With Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints approaching, the Lions spent Thursday sorting through the early injury picture at practice. Several players were full participants, but Derrick Moore, Mekhi Wingo and Christian Izien were among the names working in a limited fashion as Detroit continued its final preparations for the opener.
Dan Campbell addressed the groups condition and sounded cautiously optimistic about where things stood, which is about as much as a coach can offer this time of year. The bigger question for Detroit is how much depth it will have available when the games count for real, especially with the roster still taking shape in the final stretch before Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Still Have One Roster Pressure Point Before A Real Super Bowl Push
The Lions have built themselves into a team with real January expectations, but the conversation around their next step still keeps circling back to the same place: defense. ESPNs Mina Kimes recently pointed to cornerback Denzel Ward as the kind of addition that could make sense if the right trade opportunity comes along, a reminder that even as Detroit has climbed into the leagues upper tier, there is still room to strengthen the back end of the roster.
It is the sort of pressure point that matters most for a team trying to make a true Super Bowl push, because the offense has already done enough to change the standard in Detroit. The question now is whether the Lions stay patient with what they have or keep their eye on impact options such as Joey Porter Jr. and other defensive upgrades that could raise the ceiling when the games matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Make Late Roster Move As Tom Kennedys Role Suddenly Grows
The Lions made a late roster tweak by elevating wide receiver Tom Kennedy from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster, a move that points to an immediate role for him in the next game. Detroit also added defensive back Natrone Brooks to the practice squad, continuing to shuffle the back end of the roster as it manages depth heading into the week.
Kennedy is expected to suit up and handle punt return duties, giving the Lions another layer of reliability on special teams while keeping his receiver role available if needed. Brooks arrives with some versatility of his own, having recently moved from cornerback to safety after spending time with the Atlanta Falcons before joining Detroit. [Read more 🡒]