Game recap

Saints @ Lions

2026 Wk 1 · DET 31, NO 30

A 21-point hole usually ends a game, and the teams that climb out of one almost always finish the job or fall short by a field goal. Losing by a single point after the climb means one play separated the Saints from the win: the two-point pass to Bryce Lance with 1:34 left in overtime fell incomplete. It also means Detroit never trailed. The Lions led from 3:41 of the first quarter, were tied once in regulation, and still needed an overtime touchdown to close it.

FanIQ Research · September 14, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

Down 21-0, New Orleans tied it at 24 and lost by one: the closest loss after a 21-point deficit since 1999

Rare

Detroit led 21-0 with 8:59 left in the third quarter. New Orleans scored 24 of the next 27 points and tied the game at 24 with 1:13 to play. Thirty teams since 1999 have fallen behind by 21 or more, pulled level or ahead, and still lost. Twenty-nine of them lost by at least 2 points. New Orleans lost by 1.

Teams that erased a 21-point deficit and still lost, closest finishes, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Game	Team	Worst deficit	Final	Margin
2026	1	NO @ DET	NO	21	DET 31, NO 30	1
2007	7	TEN @ HOU	HOU	25	HOU 36, TEN 38	2
1999	14	MIN @ KC	MIN	21	KC 31, MIN 28	3
2004	14	SF @ ARI	ARI	25	ARI 28, SF 31	3
2006	15	TB @ CHI	TB	21	CHI 34, TB 31	3
2014	1	CLE @ PIT	CLE	24	PIT 30, CLE 27	3
2015	7	BUF @ JAX	BUF	24	JAX 34, BUF 31	3
2015	15	CAR @ NYG	NYG	28	NYG 35, CAR 38	3
2016	6	CAR @ NO	CAR	21	NO 41, CAR 38	3
2018	8	TB @ CIN	TB	21	CIN 37, TB 34	3
2019	16	CIN @ MIA	CIN	23	MIA 38, CIN 35	3
2020	3	LA @ BUF	LA	25	BUF 35, LA 32	3
2020	10	WAS @ DET	WAS	21	DET 30, WAS 27	3
2021	Divisional	LA @ TB	TB	24	TB 27, LA 30	3
2025	17	LA @ ATL	LA	21	ATL 27, LA 24	3

Scoring plays

Qtr	Clock	Team	Play	Score after
1	3:41	DET	Gibbs 1-yd run	DET 7, NO 0
3	11:18	DET	Gibbs 1-yd run	DET 14, NO 0
3	8:59	DET	Goff 19-yd pass to St. Brown	DET 21, NO 0
3	4:32	NO	Miller 8-yd run	DET 21, NO 7
3	0:34	NO	Shough 1-yd pass to Vele	DET 21, NO 14
4	7:45	NO	Carlson 28-yd FG	DET 21, NO 17
4	2:35	DET	Bates 23-yd FG	DET 24, NO 17
4	1:13	NO	Shough 9-yd pass to Johnson	DET 24, NO 24
OT	5:07	DET	Goff 4-yd pass to St. Brown	DET 31, NO 24
OT	1:38	NO	Shough 8-yd pass to Fant, two-point pass failed	DET 31, NO 30

Why it matters. A 21-point hole usually ends a game, and the teams that climb out of one almost always finish the job or fall short by a field goal. Losing by a single point after the climb means one play separated the Saints from the win: the two-point pass to Bryce Lance with 1:34 left in overtime fell incomplete. It also means Detroit never trailed. The Lions led from 3:41 of the first quarter, were tied once in regulation, and still needed an overtime touchdown to close it.

A failed two-point pass ended it, in only the fourth overtime since 1999 with a touchdown for both teams

Rare

Daniel Carlson's 62-yard try with 2 seconds left in regulation missed wide right with the game tied 24-24. In overtime Detroit went 70 yards in 10 plays to a 4-yard Goff pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. New Orleans answered with 74 yards in 11 plays and an 8-yard Shough pass to Noah Fant with 1:38 left, then the two-point pass to Bryce Lance fell incomplete. Of 445 overtime games since 1999, four have had a touchdown from both teams, and all four came since Week 9 of the 2025 season. Every one of the four included a two-point try by the team trailing by one after its own touchdown; only Seattle's succeeded.

Overtime games with a touchdown by both teams, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Game	Two-point try	Result	Final
2025	9	JAX @ LV	LV, Smith pass to Lockett	Failed	LV 29, JAX 30
2025	13	DEN @ WAS	WAS, Mariota pass to McNichols	Failed	WAS 26, DEN 27
2025	16	LA @ SEA	SEA, Darnold pass to Saubert	Succeeded	SEA 38, LA 37
2026	1	NO @ DET	NO, Shough pass to Lance	Failed	DET 31, NO 30

Overtime drives (pass and run plays)

Team	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	First downs	Points
DET	10	70	+0.524	5	7
NO	11	74	+0.414	4	6

Field-goal tries of 60+ yards in the final 10 seconds of a tied regulation, 1999 to 2026

Season	Game	Kicker	Yards	Result	Final
2003	IND @ TB	Martin Gramatica	62	Missed	TB 35, IND 38
2012	JAX @ LV	Sebastian Janikowski	64	Missed	LV 26, JAX 23
2013	CHI @ MIN	Robbie Gould	66	Missed	MIN 23, CHI 20
2014	LAC @ SF	Phil Dawson	60	Missed	SF 35, LAC 38
2017	NYG @ PHI	Jake Elliott	61	Made	PHI 27, NYG 24
2020	JAX @ MIN	Chase McLaughlin	62	Missed	MIN 27, JAX 24
2022	NYG @ MIN	Greg Joseph	61	Made	MIN 27, NYG 24
2023	IND @ BAL	Justin Tucker	61	Missed	BAL 19, IND 22
2024	MIA @ BUF	Tyler Bass	61	Made	BUF 30, MIA 27
2026	NO @ DET	Daniel Carlson	62	Missed	DET 31, NO 30

Why it matters. Regular-season overtime now gives both teams a possession, so a first-drive touchdown no longer ends the game, and the team that answers has to choose between a kick that keeps playing and a two-point try that decides it on one snap. All four teams in that spot have gone for two, and three of the four lost by one point. For New Orleans the decision followed a 62-yard miss that was never likely: kickers are 3 for 10 on tied-game tries of 60 or more yards in the final 10 seconds since 1999.

Shough's 410 yards: the first Saints 400-yard passing game by anyone but Drew Brees since Aaron Brooks in 2000

Milestone

Shough went 35 of 56 for 410 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and took 5 sacks. The Saints have had 22 games of 400 passing yards since 1999: Brees has 20 of them, Brooks one, and now Shough one. His previous best was 333 yards against Tennessee in Week 17 of 2025, and no Saints team passing game in the 2025 regular season went past 346 yards. Reaching 400 while taking five sacks is its own short list: 24 passer-games since 1999, and the passer's team won only 11 of them.

Saints 400-yard passing games since 1999, by passer (incl. postseason)

Passer	Games	Best
Drew Brees	20	510
Aaron Brooks	1	441
Tyler Shough	1	410

The top five, plus the two games not thrown by Brees

Season	Week	Type	Passer	Opp	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD	INT
2006	11	REG	Drew Brees	CIN	37/52	510	2	3
2015	8	REG	Drew Brees	NYG	39/50	505	7	2
2011	18	WC	Drew Brees	DET	33/43	466	3	0
2016	6	REG	Drew Brees	CAR	34/49	465	4	1
2011	19	DIV	Drew Brees	SF	40/63	462	4	2
2000	14	REG	Aaron Brooks	DEN	30/48	441	2	2
2026	1	REG	Tyler Shough	DET	35/56	410	3	2

Passers with 400+ yards while sacked 5+ times, 2019 to 2026 (24 such games since 1999, 11 wins)

Season	Week	Passer	Team	Opp	Cmp/Att	Yards	Sacked	Result
2019	1	Andy Dalton	CIN	SEA	35/51	418	5	L
2019	6	Jameis Winston	TB	CAR	30/54	400	7	L
2020	9	Josh Allen	BUF	SEA	31/38	415	7	W
2022	15	Kirk Cousins	MIN	IND	34/54	460	7	W
2024	17	Joe Burrow	CIN	DEN	39/49	412	7	W
2025	11	Bryce Young	CAR	ATL	31/45	448	5	W
2026	1	Tyler Shough	NO	DET	35/56	410	5	L

Shough's five biggest passing games

Season	Week	Opp	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD	INT	Sacked
2026	1	DET	35/56	410	3	2	5
2025	17	TEN	22/27	333	2	0	2
2025	16	NYJ	32/49	308	1	0	3
2025	10	CAR	19/27	282	2	0	2
2025	15	CAR	24/32	272	1	0	5

Why it matters. Shough is in his second season and his 2025 games topped out at 333 yards, so a 410-yard day against Detroit is a step change rather than a hot quarter. The context cuts both ways. Fifty-six attempts and five sacks are what playing from 21 points down looks like, and both interceptions came before the game turned. But 284 yards on 41 second-half plays is what made the comeback possible, and the franchise had not had a 400-yard passer other than Brees since 2000.

Scoreless at halftime, 30 points after it: the 17th team since 1999 to do that, and only the fifth to lose

Split

Offense by half (pass and run plays)

Team	Half	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	Success	First downs	Points
NO	1st	34	111	-0.370	26.5%	6	0
NO	2nd	41	284	+0.131	53.7%	16	24
NO	OT	11	74	+0.414	45.5%	4	6
DET	1st	35	161	-0.201	37.1%	11	7
DET	2nd	28	138	+0.065	46.4%	9	17
DET	OT	10	70	+0.524	70.0%	5	7

New Orleans ran 34 pass and run plays for 111 yards in the first half at minus 0.370 EPA per play, with a 26.5% success rate and six first downs. After halftime the same offense produced 284 yards on 41 plays at plus 0.131, then 74 more in overtime. Detroit's split ran the same direction, minus 0.201 before the break and plus 0.065 after it, before a 10-play overtime drive at plus 0.524. Since 1999, 17 teams have been held scoreless in the first half and finished with 30 or more points. Twelve of them won.

Teams with 0 points at halftime and 30+ at the final, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Type	Game	Team	Pts	Opp	Result
2002	17	REG	SF @ LA	LA	31	20	W
2003	5	REG	IND @ TB	IND	38	35	W
2004	11	REG	DAL @ BAL	BAL	30	10	W
2008	4	REG	ARI @ NYJ	ARI	35	56	L
2009	16	REG	MIN @ CHI	MIN	30	36	L
2012	6	REG	DEN @ LAC	DEN	35	24	W
2013	12	REG	DEN @ NE	NE	34	31	W
2013	14	REG	DET @ PHI	PHI	34	20	W
2014	1	REG	JAX @ PHI	PHI	34	17	W
2017	6	REG	TB @ ARI	TB	33	38	L
2018	20	CON	NE @ KC	KC	31	37	L
2020	15	REG	TB @ ATL	TB	31	27	W
2022	15	REG	IND @ MIN	MIN	39	36	W
2023	2	REG	NYG @ ARI	NYG	31	28	W
2023	14	REG	HOU @ NYJ	NYJ	30	6	W
2025	7	REG	NYG @ DEN	DEN	33	32	W
2026	1	REG	NO @ DET	NO	30	31	L

Why it matters. Half-by-half efficiency is the cleanest way to see where this game turned, and it turned at the break for both offenses at once. The Saints' first half was close to a shutout in every column, not just points, so the 30-point finish came from a real change in production rather than late yardage against a soft defense: 16 first downs after halftime against 6 before it. The cohort shows why the loss stings. Teams that score 30 after a scoreless first half have won 12 of 17 times since 1999, because the surge usually outruns the deficit.

Chris Olave's 182 yards are a career high and tie the third-best receiving game by a Saint since 1999

Comparison

Olave caught 10 of 13 targets for 182 yards. Four of the catches went for 20 or more: 22 yards in the second quarter, 47 in the third, a 42-yard catch to the Detroit 9 that set up the tying touchdown with 1:13 left, and a 20-yard fourth-and-3 conversion in overtime. His previous best was 148 yards against the Jets in Week 16 of 2025. Only Michael Thomas (211 in 2018) and Brandin Cooks (186 in 2016) have had a bigger receiving day for New Orleans since 1999, and Thomas also had a 182-yard game in 2019.

Saints receiving games of 180+ yards, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Player	Opp	Targets	Rec	Yards	TD
2018	9	Michael Thomas	LA	15	12	211	1
2016	15	Brandin Cooks	ARI	8	7	186	2
2019	5	Michael Thomas	TB	13	11	182	2
2026	1	Chris Olave	DET	13	10	182	0
2000	10	Joe Horn	SF	11	10	180	1
2018	1	Michael Thomas	TB	17	16	180	1

Olave's five biggest receiving games

Season	Week	Opp	Targets	Rec	Yards	TD
2026	1	DET	13	10	182	0
2025	16	NYJ	16	10	148	2
2022	3	CAR	13	9	147	0
2023	16	LA	13	9	123	0
2023	13	DET	8	5	119	0

Biggest receiving games league-wide since the start of 2025

Season	Week	Player	Team	Opp	Rec	Yards
2025	16	Puka Nacua	LA	SEA	12	225
2025	11	Michael Wilson	ARI	SF	15	185
2025	7	DeVonta Smith	PHI	MIN	9	183
2026	1	Chris Olave	NO	DET	10	182
2025	15	Puka Nacua	LA	DET	9	181

Why it matters. Olave is in his fifth season and had never reached 150 receiving yards in a game until now, so 182 on 13 targets moves him onto the franchise's short list of single-game receiving days. The yards were also placed where they mattered: the 42-yard catch produced the field position for the tying touchdown, and the fourth-down catch kept the overtime drive alive. Against a Detroit defense that gave up 410 passing yards, he accounted for 182 of them, about 44%.

Gibbs had 156 yards and 2 TD on 29 carries. Four Lions 150-yard, 2-TD rushing games since 1999, and two are his

Milestone

The 29 carries are a career high, three more than his previous top of 26 against the Raiders in 2023, and the 156 yards trail only his 219 against the Giants in Week 12 of 2025. Both of his touchdowns came from the 1-yard line, at 3:41 of the first quarter and 11:18 of the third. On the 10-play overtime drive he carried five times for 28 yards before the winning touchdown pass.

Lions players with 150+ rushing yards and 2+ rushing TD in a game, 1999 to 2026

Season	Week	Player	Opp	Carries	Yards	TD
2002	7	James Stewart	CHI	32	172	2
2025	3	David Montgomery	BAL	12	151	2
2025	12	Jahmyr Gibbs	NYG	15	219	2
2026	1	Jahmyr Gibbs	NO	29	156	2

Gibbs's five heaviest workloads by carries

Season	Week	Opp	Carries	Yards	TD
2026	1	NO	29	156	2
2023	8	LV	26	152	1
2024	16	CHI	23	109	1
2024	18	MIN	23	139	3
2025	3	BAL	22	67	2

Why it matters. Detroit's offense ran 73 pass and run plays at an average of 0.000 EPA per play to three decimals, so the ground game was the part that worked: Gibbs's 29 carries were the load that kept the Lions ahead through a second quarter of 14 plays, 40 yards and a lost fumble. A 29-carry game is new for him. In three prior seasons he never went past 26, and his biggest yardage days came on 15 to 17 carries. Two of the four Lions 150-and-2 rushing games since 1999 are now his, in consecutive seasons.

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