Lions survive Saints’ furious rally, eke out 31-30 overtime win in Week 1 opener

The Detroit Lions opened their season with a 31-30 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, though the final margin masked what had briefly looked like a comfortable afternoon. Detroit built a 21-0 advantage in the third quarter, only to watch New Orleans claw all the way back and force extra time.

The decisive moment came after the Saints scored an overtime touchdown with 1:34 remaining. Rather than kick the extra point and play on, New Orleans coach Kellen Moore elected to go for two and the win. The conversion attempt fell incomplete — quarterback Tyler Shough, pressured by a defense that kept his receivers from separating, sailed a throw out the back of the end zone to seal the result for Detroit.

Detroit’s fast start behind Gibbs

The Lions leaned on the run early, with Jahmyr Gibbs finding the end zone in the first half despite the Saints’ defense holding Detroit to just seven points before the break. After halftime, the Lions pulled away on another Gibbs rushing score and a touchdown catch from Amon-Ra St. Brown, pushing the lead to 21-0. At that stage, Shough had committed three turnovers — two interceptions and a lost fumble.

Saints storm back

New Orleans responded immediately, scoring on the drive after Detroit’s third touchdown, then forcing a three-and-out and scoring again to pull within one score in the fourth. After the teams traded field goals, the Saints trailed by seven with 2:32 left. Shough hit Chris Olave on a deep completion that moved the ball to the nine-yard line, then connected with tight end Juwan Johnson on the next play to tie it at 27-27. The Saints stopped Detroit and drove into position in the final seconds of regulation before the game went to overtime, where Detroit ultimately forced the decisive stop.

Broadcast note

The game aired on Fox, the flagship NFL broadcast partner of Fox Corporation (FOXA). Shares of Fox closed at $65.94, up 1.17% from a previous close of $65.18, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $26.85 billion.

Source: original release

What to watch

• Both teams’ Week 2 matchups and how each offense adjusts after this result.
• Quarterback play from Shough following a three-turnover first half and a strong finish.
• Fox’s continued NFL broadcast schedule and its upcoming quarterly earnings report.