Wk 1 · 2026
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions — Sun, Sep 13
Sun, Sep 13 ·
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
· Fox FINAL
Weather
This one is played indoors. There is nothing to forecast.
at
1:00pET
DET -7 · total 49.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential DET by 7.1
What is at stake
An NFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 NFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Saints form
L 13-23vs MINL 24-45vs ATLL 27-35vs LVW 24-17at BALL 30-31at DET
2026 season
Lions form
W 45-21at ARIL 26-32at CARW 31-24vs NYJL 31-41at BUFW 31-30vs NO
2026 season
Saints this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lions this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread1-3-1 · 25% (5 games)
Over / under5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 8
| Opponent | Saints | Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons NFC | vs L 24-45 preview | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
| Vikings NFC | vs L 13-23 preview | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| Giants NFC | at Wk 6 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 16 · scheduled preview |
| Panthers NFC | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview | at L 26-32 preview |
| Bears NFC | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| Packers NFC | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Buccaneers NFC | at Wk 15 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Cardinals NFC | vs Wk 16 · scheduled preview | at W 45-21 preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Saints leads 6–5 · Lions has won the last 2
11 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
6.7 points toward Saints
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-13 | Saints 30 — 31 Lions | at DET | Lions |
| 2023 | 2023-12-03 | Lions 33 — 28 Saints | at NO | Lions |
| 2020 | 2020-10-04 | Saints 35 — 29 Lions | at DET | Saints |
| 2017 | 2017-10-15 | Lions 38 — 52 Saints | at NO | Saints |
| 2016 | 2016-12-04 | Lions 28 — 13 Saints | at NO | Lions |
| 2015 | 2015-12-21 | Lions 35 — 27 Saints | at NO | Lions |
| 2014 | 2014-10-19 | Saints 23 — 24 Lions | at DET | Lions |
| 2011 | 2012-01-07 | Lions 28 — 45 Saints | at NO | Saints playoffs |
| 2011 | 2011-12-04 | Lions 17 — 31 Saints | at NO | Saints |
| 2009 | 2009-09-13 | Lions 27 — 45 Saints | at NO | Saints |
| 2008 | 2008-12-21 | Saints 42 — 7 Lions | at DET | Saints |
Saints leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Tyler Shough QB #6 | 121/180, 1203 YDS, 9 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Travis Etienne Jr. RB #3 | 30 CAR, 128 YDS |
| Alvin Kamara RB #41 | 25 CAR, 74 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Tyler Shough QB #6 | 16 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Chris Olave WR #12 | 35 REC, 491 YDS, 1 TD |
| Juwan Johnson TE #83 | 21 REC, 232 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Devaughn Vele WR #14 | 21 REC, 226 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Noah Fant TE #87 | 8 REC, 66 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jonas Sanker S #7 | 26 |
| Pete Werner LB #20 | 25 | |
| Kaden Elliss LB #55 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Chase Young DE #99 | 3.5 |
| Carl Granderson DE #96 | 1 | |
| Pete Werner LB #20 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Julian Blackmon S #23 | 1 |
Lions leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Jared Goff QB #16 | 109/161, 1214 YDS, 9 TD |
| Rushing | Jahmyr Gibbs RB #0 | 80 CAR, 353 YDS, 5 TD |
| Sione Vaki RB #33 | 9 CAR, 40 YDS | |
| Jared Goff QB #16 | 9 CAR, 15 YDS | |
| Receiving | Amon-Ra St. Brown WR #14 | 31 REC, 303 YDS, 5 TD |
| Jameson Williams WR #1 | 16 REC, 229 YDS | |
| Sam LaPorta TE #87 | 22 REC, 228 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jahmyr Gibbs RB #0 | 22 REC, 187 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jack Campbell LB #46 | 33 |
| D.J. Reed CB #4 | 30 | |
| Chuck Clark S #36 | 28 | |
| Sacks | Aidan Hutchinson DE #97 | 3.5 |
| DJ Wonnum LB #98 | 3 | |
| Alim McNeill DT #54 | 3 | |
| Interceptions | Chuck Clark S #36 | 1 |
| Derrick Barnes LB #55 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.