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American Football
3 min read

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) runs against Detroit Lions during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.

Here's who won and who didn't in the Saints loss to Detroit
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) runs against Detroit Lions during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.

Going for two was the right call. After scoring a touchdown in overtime to get the Saints to within a point, Saints coach Kellen Moore made the decision to go for two.

The Saints defense was flat tuckered out. The Lions had just driven the length of the field in the opening drive of overtime, The New Orleans D had no answers for anything Detroit was doing. Tired and on their heels, the defense did all it could for over 60-minutes.

Though the pass intended for rookie Bryce Lance landed out the bounds of play, the attempt for two was the correct call.

The Saints overtime loss to Detroit, 31-30, was a gigantic step in the right direction for this club. Going against one of the best teams in the NFL, The Saints gave the Lions everything they could handle and more before falling by one point.

This group really stepped up and hit very hard. They are the reason the Saints had any chance of getting a victory against the Lions.

Except for allowing Jahmyr Gibbs (we'll cover that in a bit) to hit the century mark, this Saints defense played very hard.

If there were any doubts about Brandon Staley's defense or his schemes, this game should put part of that to rest. Except for Detroit's 2nd possession of the game, the Saints D came up with play after play and hit and wrapped up.

Saints wideout Chris Olave was like a man possessed. 10-receptions for 182-yards.

Olave is truly an elite NFL receiver, but he's not the only one who came through like gang busters.

Is there a catch he didn't make while in midair?

...and then there was this one...

There is a reason Devaughn Vele is listed as the 2nd receiver behind Chris Olave. In fact, we just showed you a couple

In our Halftime Studs and Duds column, we asked for better punt receiving blocking so returner Barion Brown could have a chance to return one. First punt in the second half, Brown gets good blocking and returns it 16-yards, setting up the Saints in good field position at the New Orleans 46. Thank you.

The Saints were down 21-0 and quarterback Tyler Shough was looking lost throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. The reason they were still in the game at all was the New Orleans defense, as Detroit quarterback Jared Goff had only one touchdown and less than 165-yards passing in regulation.

No. It was not a forward pass.

Saints just got royally screwed by crooked zebras. Goff goes back to pass, sacked, fumbles & NO recovers for TD. Ball goes straight backward after sack, so it's either fumble or lateral. But even after review, they ruled Goff "was in throwing motion."

Here's the NFL's own rule on what constitures a forward pass

A throw where the ball initially moves toward the opponent's goal line, or first touches the ground, a player, or an official at a point closer to the opponent's goal line than where it left the passer's hand

That was not a forward pass, no matter what the so-called "experts" on Fox or the officials on the field say. The ruling and its explanation were multiple loads of crap.

One of our keys to the game was to control the Lions All-Pro running back Jahmyr Gibbs. He may be the best running back the Saints see all season. Gibbs had two touchdowns and 128-yards on 24-attempts, not an embarrassing statistic, but one that led to a Saints defeat.

Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.

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It was published on September 13, 2026 and last updated on October 9, 2026. The time of the story is shown in your own time zone on the page.

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