New Orleans Saints vs Detroit Lions Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/13/2026

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, September 13, 2026

Venue:  Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Saints +7, Lions -7; Over/Under:  49.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Saints +7, Lions -7; Over/Under:  50 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Saints +7, Lions -7; Over/Under:  50 points

New Orleans Saints:  0-0 (NFC South)

Detroit Lions:  0-0 (NFC North)

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New Orleans Saints:  N/A

Detroit Lions:  N/A

The Saints finished last season with a 6-11 record overall and they were 3-3 in their division games too. They had a 3-5 record in their home games and had a 3-6 record in their road games where they will be in this game. Last season, their offense was averaging 18 points per game and their defense was allowing an average of 22.5 points per game. Their offense was also averaging 313.6 yards per game and their defense was allowing an average of 299.8 yards per game. Tyler Shough led the team in passing yards with 2,384, Alvin Kamara led the team in rushing yards with 471, and Chris Olave led the team in receiving yards with 1,163.

The Lions finished last season with a 9-8 record overall and they were 2-4 in their division games too. They had a 5-3 record in their home games and had a 4-5 record in their road games where they will be in this game. Last season, their offense was averaging 28.3 points per game and their defense was allowing an average of 24.3 points per game. Their offense was also averaging 373.2 yards per game and their defense was allowing an average of 331.9 yards per game. Jared Goff led the team in passing yards with 4,564, Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in rushing yards with 1,223, and Amon-Ra St. Brown led the team in receiving yards with 1,401.

The current betting odds have the Lions listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lions had a terrible season by their standards, being one of the best teams in the NFL over the last few years but missing the playoffs last season. They finished at the bottom of their division too, but they really weren't that bad with their 9-8 record, still going above .500, and they were in one of the strongest divisions too. Now they will be looking to rebound this season and get back to double digit wins. They did lose a lot of key players on defense, but their defense hasn't really been that good the last few years, so a reset is exactly what they need. They are also returning a ton of talent on offense and they are still going to have one of the best offenses in the NFL this year. Meanwhile, the Saints had a 6-11 record overall last season and they finished last in their division. They weren't terrible compared to the rest of their division with all 3 of the other teams finishing 8-9, but they weren't good on the league level. They started to get hot near the end of the year and Tyler Shough made a case to be the starting QB this season, but a lot of that success came near the end of the year against other bad teams who weren't at their best. Now they are entering the 2nd year of Kellen Moore coaching, but that late season success isn't going to translate to the start of this season. This is a really tough game for them to start the season with too, on the road against one of the best franchises in the NFL the last few years who will be eager to have a much better season from the jump. The Saints still don't have the talent to compete with a team like the Lions either. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lions to cover the spread in this game. 

Saints Lions Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, September 13, 2026 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Lions 42 Saints 14.

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New Orleans Saints: 0-2 ATS against NFC North division opponents. 5-13 ATS in the first half of the regular season. 47-31 OVER against NFC North division opponents. 6-2 OVER in the first month of the regular season.

Detroit Lions: 17-11 ATS as a favorite. 6-3 ATS as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 12-4 ATS in the first half of the regular season. 12-6 OVER as a home favorite. 12-5 OVER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 45.5.

New Orleans Saints:  None.

Detroit Lions:  None.

“It could possibly get into the season, but you never know. So these things, you’ve just got to have some patience with it, let it take its course and we’ll collect more and more information as we go.” - Kellen Moore on the injury to Cam Jordan.

"I mean, I love the competitiveness. We always get after it pretty good, but I think us getting back to it, it's just Detroit versus Detroit, the no joint practices. I just think we got a lot of good stuff done. We got through full installs, man. We got to hit every situation multiple times. And so, when you're able to do that, then you can really get pretty advanced with each other and test each other pretty good." - Dan Campbell on his team’s training camp.

WR Lance, Bryce

WR Olave, Chris

WR Vele, Devaughn

TE Johnson, Juwan

QB Shough, Tyler

RB Etienne Jr., Travis

WR TeSlaa, Isaac

WR Williams, Jameson

WR St. Brown, Amon-Ra

TE LaPorta, Sam

QB Goff, Jared

RB Gibbs, Jahmyr

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

New Orleans Saints: Kellen Moore (2nd season)

Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (6th season)