Saints Can Shock Lions in Week 1 If They Accomplish These 4 Things

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The New Orleans Saints kick off their season this Sunday at noon against the Detroit Lions.

Facing the Lions presents a major test for New Orleans. Detroit enters as the favorite to capture the NFC North, boasting a high-powered offense alongside one of the league's most formidable pass-rushing defenses.

Additionally, playing inside Ford Field offers a noisy, dome setting that can disrupt an opponent's offensive communication—a challenge similar to what visiting teams encounter at the Caesars Superdome.

“I love it. I think it's a great challenge for us,” Shough said. “It's a great challenge for us to get in and out of the huddle operation-wise. It's a good challenge for us as a team, right off the bat against a playoff team with probably the highest caliber players all across the board.”

Here four keys to victory for the Saints if they want to pul offl the upset.

Protect the QB

The Saints have to protect Tyler Shough as much as possible. That sounds pretty simple.

However, when the task at hand is to make sure Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who had 14.5 sacks last season, does not make contact with Shough, it is a tough thing to ask for. Also, it isn’t just Hutchinson, as the Lions recorded 49 sacks as a defense last season, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.

Let It Rip

Shough is ready for this moment and everyone in the building has full confidence in the second-year quarterback out of Louisville. However, that also means to let him be aggressive in throwing deep passes down the field.

The Saints showed plenty of that through three joint practices against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys.

According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, from Day 12 of camp through the final practice of training camp, he completed 76.5% of the 115 throws he attempted, with only one interception. That includes the three joint practices.

Of the 10 throws he made of 20 yards or more, he completed six of them.

Even more reason why the Saints should let him rip: The Lions were 20th in pass defense last season, and Detroit will be without starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph due to injuries.

Make Jared Goff Uncomfortable

You have to make Jared Goff uncomfortable in the pocket. Goff is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, largely due to how he operates and sees the field, so putting pressure on the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback will be key.

“His ability to go through progressions and his pre-snap recognition is as good as anyone in this league,” Saints head coach Kellen Moore said on Friday.

The Saints will be without Cam Jordan, which is rare considering he has missed only two games in his career. Still, the Saints have Chase Young (10.0 sacks in 2025) and Carl Granderson (6.0 sacks) coming off the edge, and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is one of the best defensive play-callers around.

Slow Down Jahmyr Gibbs

It’s going to be hard to stop the three-time Pro Bowl running back. It’s one thing to stop him when the Lions run the ball (1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns). However, it’s a whole other thing to stop Jahmyr Gibbs when the Lions pass the ball, as he ranked second on the team with 66 receptions for 616 yards and six touchdowns.

Gang tackling and airtight coverage will be heavily needed, because while you can stop wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, it’s another thing to stop a player coming out of the backfield.

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