# Saints 30, Lions 31: Week 1 recap

> The Detroit Lions beat the New Orleans Saints 31-30 on Sun, Sep 13 at Ford Field in Detroit, MI (Week 1, 2026 season). Records after the game: Saints 3-5, Lions 6-2. C.Olave (NO) led all players with +13.7 EPA on 13 targets.

- Source: https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-09-13-no-at-det
- Publisher: Pigskin Nightly (https://pigskinnightly.com)
- Updated: 2026-11-11T03:24:20.727Z
- Method: https://pigskinnightly.com/methodology
- Please cite as: Pigskin Nightly, "Saints 30, Lions 31: Week 1 recap", https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-09-13-no-at-det

## Questions and answers

### Who won Saints vs Lions?

The Detroit Lions won 31-30. By quarter: NO 0-0-14-10-6, DET 7-0-14-3-7.

### Who was the best player in Saints vs Lions?

By expected points added: C.Olave (NO, +13.7 EPA on 13 targets), D.Vele (NO, +4.9 EPA on 9 targets) and B.Lance (NO, +3.2 EPA on 5 targets).

### What was the turning point of Saints vs Lions?

The biggest swing in win probability (25 points toward the Saints) came in Q4 at 0:40: (No Huddle, Shotgun) J.Goff pass incomplete short right to J.Williams.

## Scoring summary

| Quarter | Clock | Play | Score |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Q1 | 3:39 | L.Borom reported in as eligible.  J.Gibbs up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. J.Bates extra point is GOOD, Center-H.Hatten, Holder-J.Fox. | NO 0-7 DET |
| Q3 | 11:14 | J.Gibbs left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. J.Bates extra point is GOOD, Center-H.Hatten, Holder-J.Fox. | NO 0-14 DET |
| Q3 | 8:54 | (Shotgun) J.Goff pass deep right to A.St. Brown for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN. J.Bates extra point is GOOD, Center-H.Hatten, Holder-J.Fox. | NO 0-21 DET |
| Q3 | 4:27 | (Shotgun) K.Miller up the middle for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright. | NO 7-21 DET |
| Q3 | 0:28 | T.Shough pass short left to D.Vele for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright. | NO 14-21 DET |
| Q4 | 7:41 | D.Carlson 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright. | NO 17-21 DET |
| Q4 | 2:32 | J.Bates 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-H.Hatten, Holder-J.Fox. | NO 17-24 DET |
| Q4 | 1:07 | (Shotgun) T.Shough pass short right to J.Johnson for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright. | NO 24-24 DET |
| OT | 5:04 | (Shotgun) J.Goff pass short left to A.St. Brown for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. J.Bates extra point is GOOD, Center-H.Hatten, Holder-J.Fox. | NO 24-31 DET |
| OT | 1:34 | (Shotgun) T.Shough pass short right to N.Fant for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. T.Shough pass to B.Lance is incomplete. ATTEMPT FAILS. | NO 30-31 DET |