The New Orleans Saints stormed back in the second half of Sunday’s game.
Trailing 14-0 at halftime on the road, New Orleans overcame that sluggish start to score 24 points in the second half, which forced overtime at Ford Field. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as the Detroit Lions defeated the Saints 31-30 in overtime in the season opener.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After the two teams traded punts, Detroit got on the scoreboard with a 13-play, 89-yard drive capped with a one-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs.
New Orleans’ offense could muster nothing in the first half, as the Saints’ six possessions resulted in five punts and one interception.
While the offense struggled, the Saints’ defense stood tall and appeared to have gotten a game-changing turnover. Chase Young stripped-sacked Jared Goff, and Jonas Sanker scooped and scored. The officiating crew reviewed the play and stated that, despite the ball going backwards, they ruled it a forward pass, thus wiping out the defensive touchdown.
At the break, Detroit led New Orleans 7-0.
The second half started in the worst possible way for New Orleans.
Shough tried to find tight end Noah Fant, but the pass was intercepted by Derrick Barnes. Detroit took advantage of the short field and went 41 yards on seven plays. The Lions capped it with a one-yard touchdown run by Gibbs.
The ensuing possession saw Shough stripped and sacked by Roger McCreary and recovered by DJ Wonnum. The Lions only needed three plays to go 25 yards and find the end zone with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Down 21-0, New Orleans’ offense finally woke up late in the third quarter with a pair of touchdown drives. The first one was a 9-play, 79-yard drive capped with an eight-yard touchdown run by Kendre Miller. The second was a 7-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown pass from Shough to Devaughn Vele.
At the end of the quarter, the Saints had trimmed the lead to 21-14.
The Saints made it closer with an 11-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson. The Lions responded with an 8-play, 45-yard drive but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Jack Bates.
With 2:32 left, New Orleans trailed Detroit 24-17.
New Orleans needed less than a minute and a half to tie the game as the Saints went 75 yards on eight plays, including Shough finding Olave open for a 42-yard pickup. Shough then found Juwan Johnson open in the corner of the end zone. With 1:07 left, the game was tied 24-24.
Kellen Moore’s squad had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but Carlson’s 62-yard field goal attempt was no good.
Detroit got the ball first in overtime, and the Lions marched down the field, going 70 yards in 10 plays, as Goff found St. Brown for a four-yard touchdown pass.
New Orleans got the ball and moved down the field, highlighted by a 27-yard reception by Johnson. Shough then found Fant in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown. Moore opted to go for the two-point conversion and the victory.
Shough tried to get the ball to Bryce Lance in the back of the end zone, but it was incomplete.
BIG NUMBER I: 325
Tyler Shough started off the game struggling. The Saints’ second-year starting quarterback completed 10-of-22 for 85 yards and one interception. He heated up in the second half as he completed 25-of-34 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns in the second half.
BIG NUMBER II: 24
After being shut out in the first half, the Saints’ offense came alive in the second half, scoring 24 points on four straight possessions to tie the game.
SAINTS PLAYER OF THE GAME: CHRIS OLAVE
Despite a few early drops, Olave had a monster game, catching 10 passes for a career-high 182 yards, including a huge 42-yard completion with under two minutes in regulation.
LIONS PLAYER OF THE GAME: JAYMIR GIBBS
Gibbs had a monster game as the Lions’ running back had 156 yards on 29 carries with two rushing touchdowns, while also adding five receptions for 30 yards in Sunday’s game. He also became the sixth player in NFL history to score 50 touchdowns in his first 50 games.
UP NEXT: New Orleans (0-1) returns to action next Sunday when it travels to take on Baltimore (1-0). Kickoff is at noon and will be televised on CBS.
