The Saints spent most of Sunday afternoon climbing out of a hole in Detroit, and by the time they finally caught up, the Lions still had one more answer.
New Orleans opened the season with a 31-30 overtime loss to the Lions after Tyler Shough led a furious rally from 21 points down in the second half. The Saints trailed 21-0 before their offense came alive, tied the game late in regulation, then came up just short on a two-point try after scoring in overtime.
Detroit set the tone early with an 89-yard touchdown march on its second possession. Jared Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 19 yards, Jahmyr Gibbs ripped off a pair of big runs, and Gibbs finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown.
New Orleans had little going in the first half. Shough completed a 9-yard pass to Devaughn Vele on the opening series, but that was the Saints’ only first-down gain on the drive.
The offense later found some rhythm through Chris Olave, but never reached scoring range before the break. The Saints also got a break when a Gibbs fumble was overturned after a successful challenge, though the momentum didn’t last long.
Shough threw an interception soon after, and Aidan Hutchinson later sacked him to end another drive before halftime.
Things unraveled quickly after the break. Shough was intercepted on the first play of the second half, and Detroit made it count.
Gibbs kept hammering away, breaking off an 18-yard run before punching in another 1-yard touchdown for a 14-0 lead. Then Shough lost the ball on the next possession, handing the Lions another short field.
Goff responded with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St Brown to stretch the margin to 21-0.
That’s when New Orleans finally found some life.
Shough hit Olave for 47 yards and Noah Fant for 9 to move into striking distance, then helped convert a third down with a scramble before Kendre Miller ran in an 8-yard touchdown. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Shough kept rolling. He completed his first three passes on the next drive, a defensive pass interference call set the Saints up at the 1-yard line, and Shough found Vele for his first touchdown pass of the season.
The comeback kept building in the fourth quarter. The Lions punted again, and the Saints kept pushing with Travis Etienne’s 14-yard run and a 31-yard strike from Shough to Vele. That drive ended with Daniel Carlson’s 28-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 21-17.
Detroit briefly steadied itself with a drive aided by a facemask penalty against Tyree Wilson. Gibbs kept moving the chains, and Jake Bates finished it with a 23-yard field goal to make it 24-17.
Then Shough delivered the biggest throw of the day.
Facing 4th-and-12, he found Bryce Lance for 15 yards. He followed with another completion to Vele, then uncorked a 42-yard shot to Olave. One play later, Juwan Johnson hauled in a 9-yard touchdown, and the extra point tied it at 24-24.
The Lions still had a chance to win it in regulation, but after a three-and-out, New Orleans got one last crack at a long field goal. Etienne picked up yards, Johnson added an 18-yard catch, and Carlson lined up for a 62-yard attempt as time expired. It drifted wide right.
Overtime belonged to Detroit first. The Lions took the opening possession and marched 70 yards for a touchdown, with Goff hitting Jameson Williams for 22 yards to set up 1st-and-goal. St Brown caught the touchdown that put Detroit ahead 31-24.
New Orleans answered again. Shough converted another fourth down with a 20-yard pass to Olave, then found Fant for 10 yards, Johnson for 27, and finally Fant again for an 8-yard touchdown. That pulled the Saints within one.
Kellen Moore went for two and the win. Shough’s pass for Lance never had a real shot, and Detroit held on.
The Lions escaped with the 31-30 victory, but the Saints left with a comeback that almost turned into a road upset.
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