A wild opener in New Orleans ended up being defined by the Saints’ defense, not the side of the ball everyone expected to carry the day.
Against a Detroit Lions offense that was supposed to create problems, the Saints’ defense came out looking far better than advertised. It wasn’t perfect - there were still a few snaps they’d want back - but with the talent available on that side of the ball, the performance was impressive.
The offense, meanwhile, spent much of the first half and part of the third quarter looking lost. Tyler Shough missed throws and turned the ball over, the run game never got going, the receivers had drops, and the offensive line was beaten too often.
New Orleans didn’t score its first points until the third quarter, though the second half was much better than the first.
Even with the offensive struggles, there were clear standouts for the Saints.
Vernon Broughton may have been the biggest one.
With pressure on him as a second-year player who had shown promise before getting hurt last season and as a former third-round pick, Broughton delivered. The Saints clearly see him as a starter at defensive tackle, and he looked the part.
He handled a strong Lions offensive line well, made plays against the run, and consistently got after the quarterback. He never finished with a sack, but Jared Goff was on the turf several times after Broughton hits.
He also came up with one of the best effort plays of the day later in the first half, forcing a Jahmyr Gibbs fumble and recovering it himself.
Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele also gave the Saints enough spark to keep hanging around.
Olave’s one obvious blemish came early, when he dropped what would have been a huge play. After that, he was steady and dangerous.
He moved the chains, worked the short game, and delivered the big catch that helped get the offense rolling in the third quarter. He also made the excellent grab that put New Orleans in position to tie the game.
Vele might have been even more important. On the drive that made it 21-14, he first drew a pass interference call and then came through with a big catch that finished the touchdown drive.
Later, on the march that got the Saints to 21-17, he made a huge third-down catch that set up the field goal. Vele had a drop earlier, but he bounced back in a big way.
The defense as a whole deserves credit, too. Brandon Staley has this group outperforming expectations, and several names popped throughout the day.
Pete Werner made some incredible plays. Chase Young had the sack that should have been a fumble touchdown.
Quincy Riley turned in one of the best plays of the game. Granderson added a sack.
And a lot of the touchdowns the defense gave up came with the Lions working from excellent field position.
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