8 Winners, 4 Losers From Lions Week 1 Win Over Saints

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions officially began their 2026 season after months of build up and preseason action. The Lions played host to the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dan Campbell’s last coaching stop before Motown, on Sunday.

After a slow first half, with the Lions leading 7-0, both teams came alive in the second half. The Lions got two touchdowns in 2:20 of game action to start the third quarter after forcing turnovers, and then New Orleans rallied to tie the game at 24 points apiece with one minute to play.

Ultimately, the Saints missed a game-winning field goal as time expired and the NFL saw the first overtime action of the year. The Lions scored a touchdown, with New Orleans responding in kind, but the Saints could not get the two-point conversion to end it. That failed two-point gave the Lions the win.

Here is who impressed and failed to meet their standards in the first action for many of the starters this year.

Winners

S Chuck Clark

Clark, starting in place of the injured Kerby Joseph, gave the Lions their first takeaway of the season. The Saints struggled to get things going in the first half, with quarterback Tyler Shough only completing four passes for less than 50 yards until the final drive.

The 10-year NFL veteran was the recipient of a bad ball by Shough. The safety was beat by a step or two, but the quarterback threw directly at Clark. It was an interception that Lions fans are used to seeing Kerby Joseph make, and Clark stepped up to the moment.

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

The franchise running back for Detroit was expected to have a steady diet of touches after David Montgomery departed via trade and Isiah Pacheco got injured in summer camp. Gibbs stepped up, scoring the first two touchdowns in Ford Field this season.

The running back took what defenses gave him and played a role in the passing game, although one of his catches turned into a fumble that was recovered by New Orleans. Regardless, Gibbs had hit the century mark for yardage by the third quarter.

With 8:54 left in the third quarter, Gibbs had more total yardage (105 yards) than the entire New Orleans offense (101 yards). On his first touch of the fourth quarter, Gibbs surpassed 100 yards rushing on the day.

LB Derrick Barnes

Barnes had a strong, if relatively quiet, first half, but flew onto the scene in the second half. On the opening defensive play of the half, Barnes set the tone with an interception off Tyler Shough.

After the Lions drove down to double their lead, Barnes recorded a second-down sack of Shough that set up the defense for a passing down on third down. The Lions send a nickel blitz, where they forced a fumble.

In overtime, Barnes added a big pass breakup in the end zone.

CB Roger McCreary

With Ennis Rakestraw Jr. inactive, McCreary stood to receive more playing time during the game, alongside an early injury to Avonte Maddox that held him out a few plays. McCreary announced his presence in the second half, sacking Tyler Shough and stripping the ball out, which was recovered by D.J. Wonnum to set up an Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown.

WR Tay Martin

Although Martin did not see much game action on offense, the receiver proved why he made the active roster. The wide receiver flew down the field on special teams, with two punt coverage tackles, including forcing a return for no yardage. He added a kickoff coverage tackle in the third quarter.

Martin is already making a case for some Pro Bowl looks as a special teamer in week one.

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson got his first action of the season on Sunday after sitting out (alongside all other starters) during the preseason. The All-Pro EDGE lived up to his contract against the Saints. In two crucial situations, Hutchinson got home on a rush.

With the Saints having a strong drive in the first quarter, Hutchinson sacked Tyler Shough to knock New Orleans out of field goal position to keep Detroit with a touchdown lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Saints got the ball with less than three minutes left for a game-tying or go-ahead (with a two-point conversion) drive. Hutchinson came up with a second down sack to force the two-minute warning and a third-and-12 on the field.

In overtime, Hutchinson forced Shough to step up into Alim McNeill’s waiting arms.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

There was not much rust to knock off for St. Brown, as the Pro Bowl pass catcher opened 2026 with two touchdowns. St. Brown was a quick option for the Lions, with Drew Petzing and Jared Goff dialing up St. Brown’s number ten times.

While his output, with 67 yards, was not extreme, St. Brown’s two touchdown push him into the winners category. The second touchdown was by far the biggest play of the game, with it being an overtime touchdown.

EDGE Eric O’Neill

The only 2026 UDFA to make the opening day Lions roster continues to impress. O’Neill got a spot on the active roster over 2025 draft pick Ahmed Hassanein and responded with two big special teams tackles during the contest.

One of O’Neill’s special teams stops came in overtime, with the EDGE then also recording a run stuff at the two minute warning in the extra period.

Losers

RB Sione Vaki

With Isiah Pacheco out, Vaki got his first taste of RB2 action on Sunday. Vaki had some flashy plays, including a first down catch on the Lions’ second touchdown drive.

However, in pass protection, Vaki had an awful play, chipping left tackle Penei Sewell and allowing Saints EDGE Chase Young to have a free shot at Jared Goff. Goff was hit and fumbled, although video review later called it a forward pass despite the ball clearly bouncing backwards. The Utah product set up the most controversial play in week one.

Unsurprisingly, the more the game progressed, the less of Vaki was seen on the field.

WR Jameson Williams

Williams, like most of the starters, sat out the preseason. Unfortunately, that rust did not fly off the 1,000-yard receiver instantly for his first game. The Alabama product had a strong catch in the first half, but that was offset by two plays that are inexplicable for a star receiver.

The first play was a Jared Goff deep shot thrown perfectly over two defenders the speedy wideout had gotten by, and Williams looked to run before securing the catch. He dropped the momentum-shifting play.

On the second play, a routine trick play reverse, Williams failed to haul in a routine pitch and had to recover his fumble. What looked to be at least a five-yard gained turned into a six-yard loss.

In the third quarter, Williams added his second drop of the game after the Saints had momentum with their first score of the year. The receiver got his hands on a ball that was slightly high but still very catchable.

Williams added a third drop in contested coverage on fourth down with the Lions having the chance for a go-ahead drive. Instead, the Lions had to punt the ball. In overtime, Williams rebounded with a first-down catch that set up Amon-Ra St. Brown’s second touchdown two plays later.

CB Rock Ya-Sin

Ya-Sin stood to get more run with Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out, and he did not rise to the occasion. The Temple product was whistled for two penalties on the day, a defensive holding and a defensive pass interference.

The defensive pass interference occurred after Ya-Sin was beat on a third-and-long, setting the Saints up on the Lions goal line. The very next play, Ya-Sin was targeted again, where he allowed a touchdown catch without having a chance to make a play on the ball.

Worse yet, the former second round pick went down in overtime with an injury. He returned to play, and he had his best play of the game on the last one. Ya-Sin broke up a pass to Bryce Lance to send the Ford Field fans home happy.

CB D.J. Reed

It was a bad day in the Lions secondary, with Shough passing for over 400 yards after a rough start. Chris Olave routinely beat the Lions, with 182 yards on the day. The biggest play of the game came against Reed, when the corner got beat for a 47-yard gain to set up New Orleans’s game-tying touchdown the next play.

Reed was beat bad and got whistled for pass interference on the play, but Olave still came down with the ball regardless. It was a “double negative” play.

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