3 Things To Watch For In Saints-Lions Week 1 Matchup

We made it, folks. The New Orleans Saints play football on Sunday! The Lions are looking to regain their footing in the NFC North in 2026, and the Saints are looking to make their mark on the 2026 season with a playoff berth at the very least. 

The Saints are the sexy pick out of the NFC South. The South is home to the Tampa Bay Bucs, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons. Aside from Tampa, all three division opponents will search for a quarterback after this season. Bryce Young has the best chance to stick around, but the Saints are looking for Tyler Shough to bring stability to the position.

Here are three things to watch for on Sunday:

Watch for play action

Drew Petzing was a big play action guy as the Cardinals play caller. Now, he has Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs to utilize in Detroit. The Lions were subpar last season running the football, which is a departure from the norm, but expect Petzing to pick up where he left off in Arizona.

The Lions ranked 1st in play action usage in 2024 and 8th in 2025 while ranking 3rd in EPA/play action pass last season. The Cardinals ranked 8th in 2024 and 13th last season. 

Raising the Saints explosive gain rate

The Saints finished 32nd in the NFL in explosive rate. Since there is nowhere to go but up, New Orleans is due for some positive regression. Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and the rookie Bryce Lance are all perfect for more explosive plays. Travis Etienne is a home run hitter as a running back. 

Simply put, there is no way for the Saints to be worse and only add to the excitement about this team and their potential. 

Brandon Staley's defense

The defensive coordinator for the Saints has a plan and it is with two high safeties. This is a staple from his time with the Rams as DC. The idea is to keep all passing plays in front of you with safeties able to help in run support.

Last season, the Saints ranked third in the NFL in base and two high safety looks. That stuck around even on third down situations and play action as the Saints allowed  -0.20 EPA/dropback in those situations. 

Jonas Sanker has been someone who has been tabbed for the "star" role. Staley will have to be creative while staying away from having linebackers lined up on Gibbs in the passing game.