New Orleans Saints vs Detroit Lions, Week 1 2026

Saints vs Lions opens the 2026 season with one team chasing a reset and the other missing four regulars before kickoff. Detroit finished 9 and 8, last in the NFC North, despite scoring 481 points, the second highest total in franchise history. New Orleans finished 6 and 11 in Kellen Moore's first year.

Saints vs Lions kicks off at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13 at Ford Field. From the opening snap this page becomes a live hub. Real time score, game leaders, box scores, play by play with the game flow chart and full team statistics all refresh on their own, so nothing here needs a reload.

Saints vs Lions also arrives with a lopsided injury sheet, a new Detroit play caller and a road quarterback making his first Week 1 start. Here is what matters before Sunday.

Saints vs Lions Start Time, TV Channel and Live Stream

FOX carries Saints vs Lions in the early regional window, so your local affiliate decides whether the game reaches your television. Detroit and New Orleans markets both get it at home. Everyone outside those maps needs NFL Sunday Ticket. Set a reminder for 12:00 PM CT, 11:00 AM MT or 10:00 AM PT depending on where you watch.

Saints vs Lions Injury Report: New Orleans Is Down Four

New Orleans enters Saints vs Lions with three players on injured reserve from cutdown, and all three sit out the first four games. Rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson, the eighth overall pick in April, tore into a hamstring at practice and is expected to need roughly two months. Linebacker Jaylan Ford and safety Lorenzo Styles are on the same list.

Alvin Kamara is the fourth absence. He sprained an MCL in a joint practice with Dallas in mid August and has not practiced since. Kendre Miller is out as well. That hands the backfield to Travis Etienne Jr., signed in March on a four year contract worth 48 million dollars, with Audric Estime as the only other back with carries. Defensive end Cameron Jordan is managing a hamstring, and the interior rotation now runs through Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton while Bryan Bresee is unavailable.

Detroit Is Healthy and Running a New Offense

Detroit reaches the opener with a clean report apart from two players already parked on injured reserve: running back Isiah Pacheco with a back injury and center Cade Mays. Both miss at least four games. Tight end Tyler Conklin was brought back in the final wave of roster moves.

The bigger change sits on the headset. Dan Campbell graded his own 2025 season with the letter F, dismissed coordinator John Morton and hired Drew Petzing, who called plays in Arizona for three seasons. That is three coordinators in three years for Jared Goff, who still threw for more than 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns for a third straight year. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 117 passes for 1,401 yards, Jameson Williams added 1,117, and Jahmyr Gibbs produced 1,839 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns. With David Montgomery traded to Houston, Gibbs now carries the run game alone, and Penei Sewell has shifted from right tackle to left.

Saints vs Lions: Tyler Shough Against a Loud Building

Tyler Shough makes his first Week 1 start. New Orleans opened 2025 with Spencer Rattler and sat at 1 and 7 through Week 8. Shough took the job from there and the Saints went 5 and 4, averaging 19.8 points, 343 total yards and 265 passing yards per game with him on the field.

Protection is the worry. New Orleans allowed 49 sacks last season, seventh most in the league, and now visits a dome where Detroit has gone 20 and 8 including playoffs since 2023. Aidan Hutchinson owns 43.0 sacks in four seasons, more than any Lion has managed that quickly, and he lines up across from Kelvin Banks Jr., the second year left tackle who surrendered four sacks across 17 rookie starts. Chris Olave, fresh off 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, has to carry the passing game until Tyson returns.

Both rosters are set at 53 and the practice squads are full. Follow the moves on the Saints and Lions pages, check the rest of the weekend on the 2026 NFL schedule, and watch the first NFL standings of the year fill in on Sunday evening.

Ford Field on Game Day

Ford Field stands at 2000 Brush Street in downtown Detroit, directly across from Comerica Park, and the closed roof keeps weather out of the Saints vs Lions conversation entirely. The building is also the reason visiting offenses rehearse all week with crowd noise piped into practice.

Attending in person changes the checklist. Ford Field runs a clear bag policy: one clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one gallon clear freezer bag, plus a small clutch about the size of your hand. Backpacks stay in the car. Once you leave the gates you cannot come back in. The Ford Field bag policy page carries the full prohibited items sheet.

Saints vs Lions FAQ

Saints vs Lions hands a stung Detroit team an immediate chance to look different and asks a first year starter to open on the road without his top rookie receiver or his most familiar running back. Check back Sunday morning for inactives, then follow the live score here.

Last updated: September 9, 2026