Our Saints vs Lions prediction backs Detroit comfortably, at 6pm BST on the opening Sunday of the 2026 NFL season. Squawka Signal’s live read on this game, including where the value sits, is in the block just below.
The gap is about finishing rather than moving the ball. Detroit scored 481 points in 2025 to New Orleans’s 306, and converted 62.5% of red-zone trips against the Saints’ 44.4%, the weakest rate in the round.
Saints vs Lions: our editor’s prop
One editorial call to sit alongside the live Signal numbers above.
AT 
Our prop
An editorial call, not a Signal model output. 18+ | BeGambleAware.org
Saints vs Lions: 2025 season form
Detroit finished 9-8 at plus 68 and New Orleans 6-11 at minus 77. The points columns separate them further than the records do.
| 2025 regular season | Saints | Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 6-11 | 9-8 |
| Points for | 306 | 481 |
| Points against | 383 | 413 |
| Point differential | -77 | +68 |
| Sacks recorded | 45 | 49 |
| Sacks allowed | 49 | 39 |
| Interceptions made | 10 | 13 |
| Third-down offence | 39.5% | 38.8% |
| Red-zone offence | 44.4% | 62.5% |
| Red zone allowed | 53.2% | 59.6% |
| Opponent passer rating | 91.8 | 92.5 |
The red-zone rows carry it: 62.5% against 44.4%, with the Saints also conceding 49 sacks. Their defence was not the problem, however, at 45 sacks and a 91.8 opponent passer rating.
Saints vs Lions injury report and team news
This section updates as soon as the Out, Doubtful and Questionable tags land. Notably, for now, both sides expect their first-choice quarterbacks.
Tyler Shough is expected to start for New Orleans, though the Saints had not confirmed it at the time of writing. Chris Olave leads the receivers, moreover, after 1,163 yards.
Jared Goff starts for Detroit. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both cleared 1,100 receiving yards, meanwhile, with Jahmyr Gibbs carrying the run game.
The matchup that settles it: Detroit’s red zone against an offence that stalls
Detroit converted 62.5% of red-zone trips in 2025 at a 105.5 passer rating, the highest in the round, and Goff threw 35 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
The Saints are the mirror image. Their 44.4% conversion was the weakest here, and 3.69 yards a carry gave them no short-yardage answer. Therefore drives reaching the twenty tend to end in field goals.
Players to watch
- Jared Goff (DET, QB): 4,303 yards and 35 touchdowns at a 105.5 rating, indeed the best here.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET, WR): 1,401 receiving yards, notably fifth in the league.
- Aidan Hutchinson (DET, DE): 14 sacks against a line that conceded 49.
- Chris Olave (NO, WR): 1,163 receiving yards, moreover, the Saints’ clearest route to points.
How to watch Saints vs Lions
Kickoff is 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13, which is 6pm BST in the UK. That makes it one of the friendliest windows of the week for British viewers, indeed, landing in the early evening rather than the small hours. Sky Sports has the coverage, and NFL Game Pass on DAZN carries every game. Squawka may earn a commission if you subscribe through that link.
| Detail | Saints vs Lions |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, September 13, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 6:00pm BST / 1:00 PM ET, Sunday 13 Sep |
| Venue | Ford Field, Detroit |
| TV | Sky Sports |
| Live stream | NFL Game Pass (DAZN) |
| Week | Week 1, 2026 NFL season |
Saints vs Lions prediction and score projection
Our Saints vs Lions prediction is a comfortable Detroit win. A 481-point offence against the weakest red-zone attack in the round is about as clean a mismatch as Week 1 offers.
The Saints are not without resistance: 45 sacks and a 53.2% red-zone defence are both better than Detroit’s equivalents. So we will take the Lions, 28-22. Which side carries the value, though, is a separate question from who wins, and the live read on that sits in the Signal block.
Every fixture in the round is covered across our NFL UK hub, and the 32 club pages sit on the NFL teams hub. Kickoff times are confirmed on NFL.com.
Saints vs Lions FAQ
Detroit, comfortably. The Lions scored 481 points in 2025 to New Orleans’s 306 and converted 62.5% of red-zone trips against the Saints’ 44.4%. Ultimately the live win probability sits in the Signal block on this page.
Notably 6pm BST on Sunday 13 September, which is 1:00 PM ET.
Sky Sports has the coverage and NFL Game Pass on DAZN carries every game. Moreover kickoff is Notably 6pm BST on Sunday 13 September, which is 1:00 PM ET.
Tyler Shough is expected to start, although the Saints had not confirmed it at the time of writing.
Lions 28-22. Detroit’s 62.5% red-zone conversion against New Orleans’s 44.4% is the clearest edge.
18+ | Please gamble responsibly | BeGambleAware.org | Signal probabilities approximate at time of writing and subject to change