Michigan Sports

Lions finally get chance to start redemption tour

DETROIT -- A long wait is almost over for the Detroit Lions.

Coach Dan Campbell’s squad failed to make the playoffs last season, starting an extended offseason after falling short of expectations as a two-time defending division champion with one appearance in the NFC championship game and 27 wins in a two-year span.

Campbell and his players have been eager to show last year was a fluke.

The Lions will get their first chance Sunday at home against the New Orleans Saints to see how addressing weak spots on the offensive line and opposite edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson panned out.

“We identified things that we felt like we needed to upgrade, I thought we did that,” Campbell said.

The Saints also can’t wait to kick off the season after going five years without a postseason bid, their longest skid in two decades.

New Orleans hopes to pick up where it left off last season, winning five of the last eight games with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough going 5-4 as a starter.

The Lions bowed their heads after collapsing last year following a 4-1 start and Campbell vowed all offseason that they would get their edge back, playing like a team with grit instead of entitlement.

“I just thought we identified those issues and went after them, not only personnel, but just schematically and competitively,” Campbell said. “I think we got back to some of those things that we’re about.”

Need to know

New Orleans (6-11) at Detroit (9-8)

TV: Sunday, 1p.m. EDT, FOX.

Latest odds: Lions by 6 1/2.

Last meeting: Lions beat Saints 33-28 on Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans.

Matchups

Perhaps the weakest position group for each team will face off. Detroit’s defensive backs are missing standout safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch along with 2024 first-round cornerback Terrion Arnold. Joseph and Brian are coming back from injuries. Arnold was cut on the eve of training camp after a Florida judge set his bail at $1 million on eight felony charges and later signed by Seattle, though it’s not clear when he will be able to play again.

Whether the Saints can take advantage of a shaky secondary may prove to be pivotal. Chris Olave is coming off a season with 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, but the depth alongside and behind him is in question. New Orleans drafted Jordyn Tyson in the first round to perhaps answer the question, but he’s out with a hamstring injury.