The Saints’ season starts in a place that will tell us plenty about them right away.
New Orleans opens its 60th year Sunday with a road game against the Detroit Lions, and there’s no soft landing here. The Saints went 6-11 last season and the Lions finished 9-8, with both teams ending up fourth in their divisions.
Now each is trying to reset. For New Orleans, the opener offers an early chance to prove that last season’s late surge - four wins in the final five games - was something real.
A big part of that test falls on Tyler Shough, who is stepping into one of the loudest environments he’ll see and one of the more revealing games of his young run. He started nine games last season, but eight came against teams that finished with losing records.
The lone exception was his first start against the Rams at SoFi Stadium. That’s why this matchup matters so much: it’s early, but it should say a lot about where the Saints stand.
Shough made his feelings clear when asked about the challenge ahead: “I love it. It’s a great challenge for us to get in and out of the huddle.
We’re going to be ready to go.”
Detroit’s offense brings a problem the Saints have to solve before anything else gets rolling. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs is coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,223 yards and averaged 5 yards per carry, which somehow was the lowest mark of his career.
He averaged 5.2 as a rookie and 5.6 in his second season. Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley didn’t downplay the threat: “He has the knockout punch in both the running game and the passing game,” said Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
“He gets to top speed so quickly. A very complete player, and he’s a weapon no matter what he’s doing.”
The Saints’ run defense was 19th in the league last year, giving up 120.6 rushing yards per game, and that’s a number they can’t afford to let show up again in Week 1.
There’s also plenty of spotlight waiting on New Orleans’ rookie class. Jonas Sanker is taking over the Star spot left by Alontae Taylor, and his assignment comes fast: Lions receiver Amon-Ra St.
Brown, who often works from the slot. St.
Brown finished fifth in the league in receptions with 117 and receiving yards with 1,401, and he tied for second in receiving touchdowns with 11. That’s a tough first test for Sanker.
On the other side, left tackle Kelvin Banks draws an equally nasty assignment in Aidan Hutchinson, who had 14½ sacks last season. If Banks can hold up and Sanker can survive the early fire, the Saints’ chances get a lot better.
Special teams could end up mattering just as much as anything else. New Orleans had real issues there last season, and the team tried to patch things up by signing Tulane alum Ryan Wright to punt and drafting LSU’s Barion Brown for return work.
Brown didn’t get any preseason return chances, so this will be the first look at him in an NFL game. The Saints also brought in kicker Daniel Carlson a week before roster cuts after Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown couldn’t win the job.
Carlson needs to get back to the form he showed in 2021 and 2022, when he was an All-Pro selection.
In a game that figures to be tight, those hidden yards and every point on the board could decide the outcome.
In Other News...
Saints Now Have One More Lions Opener Wrinkle To Prepare For
The Lions added another layer to their opener plans by promoting wide receiver and return man Tom Kennedy to the active 53-man roster ahead of their 2026 matchup with the Saints. Kennedy is expected to handle punt and kick return duties, giving Detroit a more defined answer in the third phase of the game as it gets ready for Sunday.
For New Orleans, it is one more detail to sort through before the first real snap of the season, especially in a game where field position can matter early. Detroit also added defensive back Natrone Brooks to its practice squad, a smaller move on paper, but the Kennedy promotion is the one the Saints will be watching closest as they finalize their own opener prep. [Read more 🡒]
Kendre Miller Just Cleared One Saints Concern But Another Is Growing
Kendre Miller no longer appears on the Saints injury report heading into the season opener, which is an encouraging development after he missed practice last week because of an injury. For a player trying to carve out a real role early in the year, simply getting through the final stretch of preparation without an issue matters, especially with New Orleans looking to sort out its backfield rotation from the start.
The larger question now is how much room Miller will actually have once Alvin Kamara is back in the mix. Kamaras return could cap Millers workload, even though there is still a path for him to contribute if he brings the kind of explosiveness the Saints want to see. The expectation is that Miller could see a modest number of carries each game, but his impact may depend on whether he can make the most of those chances. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Need Chase Young To Deliver In A Brutal Week 1 Test
Cameron Jordans absence from the Saints regular-season opener is a significant blow before New Orleans even gets to the first Sunday of the year. Jordan, long one of the most dependable players on the defense, will sit out against Detroit after a hamstring injury in training camp, leaving the Saints to reshuffle their pass-rush plans for a matchup that already looked demanding.
Chase Young is now in line for a much bigger load, and the timing could hardly be tougher. The Lions bring a difficult offense led by Jared Goff, so New Orleans will need pressure up front to keep the game under control and prevent Detroit from settling in. For the Saints, this is the kind of Week 1 test that can quickly show whether Young is ready to carry more of the burden. [Read more 🡒]