{"id":901523,"date":"2026-05-26T07:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/901523\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T07:04:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:04:01","slug":"2026-saints-schedule-previewing-season-opener-vs-lions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/901523\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Saints Schedule: Previewing season opener vs. Lions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New Orleans Saints<\/a> won\u2019t get much time to ease into the 2026 NFL season. Their year opens on the road in Detroit<\/a> against the Lions<\/a>, one of the NFC\u2019s toughest and most physical teams. For a Saints team that\u2019ll be looking to establish an identity early, this is about as strong an opening test as a schedule could offer.<\/p>\n

The Lions have become one of the league\u2019s toughest home opponents, and opening the season in Detroit gives the matchup a different feel than if it were in New Orleans<\/a>. The Saints have had success in the all-time series, but the Lions won the most recent meeting and will now look to extend their winning streak to two games. Can the Saints pull off a stunner in Week 1?<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Upcoming game in Saints vs. Lions<\/p>\n

When: Sunday, Sept. 13 (Week 1) at Noon CT<\/p>\n

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.<\/p>\n

Record: Saints lead 14-13-1.<\/p>\n

Last meeting in Saints vs. Lions<\/p>\n

Lions won 33-28 on Dec. 3, 2023.<\/p>\n

An ascending Lions team took home the win in a high-scoring affair late in 2023. It was a tall task for the Derek Carr-led Saints, who were sitting around .500, but a late-game comeback made things interesting in the final minutes. Carr<\/a> threw for 226 yards and a touchdown, but gave an interception to Brian Branch<\/a> and the Lions\u2019 defense \u2014 and it could\u2019ve been the difference in the game. Taysom Hill<\/a> led the Saints in rushing yards with 59 alongside Alvin Kamara<\/a>, who rushed for 51 yards on 3.64 yards per carry. Both combined for three touchdowns on the ground.<\/p>\n

The Lions did most of their damage early. Goff<\/a> threw touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta<\/a> and Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a>, and David Montgomery<\/a> added a rushing touchdown in the first quarter. The Saints responded in the second half behind Kamara and Hill, cutting the lead to 24-21 in the third quarter, but the Lions answered just enough to escape with the win.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Common connections in Saints vs. Lions<\/p>\n

Lions head coach Dan Campbell spent five seasons with New Orleans as the Saints\u2019 assistant head coach and tight ends coach before landing the job in Detroit. He has since established a tough, winning culture with the Lions and has seen much success in his tenure.<\/p>\n

Saints head coach Kellen Moore began his NFL playing career with the Lions. He spent three seasons in Detroit before being released during the 2015 training camp.<\/p>\n

Notable changes since the last meeting in Saints vs. Lions<\/p>\n

The Lions remain one of the NFC\u2019s most complete rosters. Detroit still has Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a>, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta. They parted ways with David Montgomery, trading him to the Houston Texans<\/a> early in the offseason.<\/p>\n

Detroit has given both pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson<\/a> and linebacker Jack Campbell<\/a> long-term contract extensions since their last matchup against the Saints. Campbell was recently rewarded with a four-year, $81 million extension, and Hutchinson signed a four-year, $180 million deal in October. Both have emerged as the centerpieces of the Lions’ defense.<\/p>\n

This is not the type of season opener the Saints can afford to spend a quarter figuring things out. Detroit\u2019s offense is too talented, Ford Field will be too loud, and the Lions have enough pieces to pummel a team with a slow start. The Saints learned that in their last meeting, a bad opening stretch forced New Orleans to play from behind for the rest of the game.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

For the Saints, the road to an upset begins with composure from their second-year signal caller, Tyler Shough<\/a>, who will need to handle the noise and protect the football. New Orleans will need to manage the persistent threat Hutchinson poses. If he comes down with two, three, or even four sacks, Hutchinson can single-handedly wreck the game.<\/p>\n

Defensively, the Saints must limit St. Brown\u2019s yards after catch and force Gibbs to accept short gains, rather than turning dead plays into explosive gains. If they can avoid the early avalanche of points that hurt them in the last matchup, the Saints will have a real opportunity to make an early statement to the rest of the league.<\/p>\n

1 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 2 at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Sept. 20, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Tommy Gilligan, Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)\"\"<\/p>\n

1 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 2 at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Sept. 20, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Tommy Gilligan, Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)\"\"<\/p>\n

2 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 3 vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Sept. 27, 3:25 p.m. CT<\/p>\n

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

3 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 4 vs. Atlanta Falcons, Monday, Oct. 5, 7:15 p.m. CT<\/p>\n

(Stephen Lew, Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

4 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 5 vs. Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Oct. 11, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Chuck Cook, Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)\"\"<\/p>\n

5 \/ 17<\/p>\n

Pivot points: Six games that could decide Saints’ 2026 season<\/p>\n

Week 6 at New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 18, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Brad Penner, Brad Penner-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

6 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 7 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (in Paris, France), 8:30 a.m. CT<\/p>\n

(ANDREJ ISAKOVIC, AFP via Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

7 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 8 on bye<\/p>\n

(Stephen Lew, Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)\"\"<\/p>\n

8 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 9 vs. Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 8, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Matthew Hinton, Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

9 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 10 vs. Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Nov. 8, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Matthew Hinton, Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

10 \/ 17<\/p>\n

Pivot points: Six games that could decide Saints’ 2026 season<\/p>\n

Week 11 at Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 22, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(David Banks, David Banks-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

11 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 12 at Cincinnati Bengals, Nov. 29, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Aaron Doster, Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)\"\"<\/p>\n

12 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 13 vs. Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Dec. 6, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

13 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 14 at Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 13, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(David Jensen, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

14 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Dec. 20, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

15 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 16 vs. Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 27, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Ella Hall, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

16 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 17 at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Jan. 3, Noon CT<\/p>\n

(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)\"\"<\/p>\n

17 \/ 17<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

Week 18 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TBD<\/p>\n

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 Saints Schedule: Previewing Week 1 season opener vs. Lions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New Orleans Saints won\u2019t get much time to ease into the 2026 NFL season. Their year opens…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":892763,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2076],"tags":[1817,2825,4566,1524,10418,260,1697,597,146,7,7839,253,3188,16688,1674,110,147,6294,896,55,2572,2571,6,397,7472,7762,4378,283],"class_list":["post-901523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-orleans-saints","tag-aidan-hutchinson","tag-alvin-kamara","tag-amon-ra-st-brown","tag-brian-branch","tag-cade-mays","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-carr","tag-david-montgomery","tag-detroit","tag-football","tag-goff","tag-houston-texans","tag-isiah-pacheco","tag-jack-campbell","tag-jahmyr-gibbs","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-lions","tag-malcolm-rodriguez","tag-new-orleans","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-neworleans","tag-neworleanssaints","tag-nfl","tag-saints","tag-sam-laporta","tag-taysom-hill","tag-the-lions","tag-tyler-shough"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116639608048065171","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}