DETROIT — The Detroit Lions have big goals for the 2026 season and a huge Week 2 matchup Thursday night in Buffalo. That was almost derailed Sunday at home in their season opener, even after benefiting from a first-half call that erased a New Orleans Saints touchdown.The Saints rolled the dice and went for two after scoring a touchdown in overtime after the Lions scored first. But Tyler Shough — who had a monster second half and finished with 410 passing yards and three touchdowns — threw too high to Bryce Lance in the back of the end zone, and an enormous sigh of relief could be felt at Ford Field as Detroit escaped with a 31-30 victory.The Saints rallied from 21 points down, tied the game with 1:07 remaining in regulation and then missed a 62-yard field goal attempt as time expired. After Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown reception for the go-ahead score in overtime to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive, Shough connected with Noah Fant for an 8-yard TD.The Saints could have folded after a second-quarter replay reversal took a touchdown off the board. Chase Young knocked the ball loose from Goff and after a scramble for the ball, Jonas Sanker picked it up and ran it in for a 7-yard TD. But officials determined that Goff’s throwing motion had begun and the play was reversed with the Lions leading 7-0.The Lions led 21-0 after turning a pair of Saints turnovers into touchdowns in the third quarter. New Orleans then scored on four consecutive possessions and tied the game at 24-apiece when Shough hit Juwan Johnson for a 9-yard TD with 1:07 remaining. After a defensive stop, Daniel Carlson’s 62-yard attempt sailed several feet right as time expired.Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 156 yards and had two rushing TDs for the Lions (1-0). Goff struggled to get much going in the passing game. He completed 26-of-39 passes for 206 yards and two TD passes.The Lions have plenty to work on in a short amount of time before traveling to Buffalo. Things don’t get easier for the Saints, who visit Baltimore, but they’ll have a confident quarterback.Lions caught a first-half breakIn the second quarter, with the Lions leading 7-0, Saints edge Young beat Penie Sewell around the edge and sacked Goff. Upon first glance, it looked like a fumble — but it was initially ruled a backward pass, scooped up by the Saints for a touchdown. After further review, officials changed the call to a forward pass, citing that Goff had started his passing motion before he lost possession of the ball. It made the pass incomplete as a result. Instead of a New Orleans touchdown that could’ve tied the game pending an extra point, the Lions punted.