Lions vs Saints outlook
By: Jake Rajala
The Week 1 slate of games is here. There will be a Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks. We will also witness many other prolific matchups. One of those games is the Lions vs Saints. With that said, I’m simply going to lay out five players to watch.
Blake Miller
Blake Miller was the Lions first round pick in 2026. It will be quite the “welcome to the NFL” moment for Miller. He will face a lot of Chase Young, who recorded 10 sacks in 12 games last season. He also had 11 TFLs. The Saints no longer have Demario Davis, who was the leader of the defense. Young will need to show up in key moments. If Miller can’t block Young, they will need to double team Young and really limit their plans on offense.
DeVaughn Vele
Devaughn Vele is the Saints third WR. He reminds me a lot of Marques Colston. He is a third down conversion machine. Sadly, he was injured and MIA deep in last season. With Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson focused on by defenses, it will open up things for the WR3 Vele.
Jack Campbell
The Saints don’t have one, but rather two electric running backs. It will be a challenge for Jack Campbell to keep track of them in the screen game and routes across the middle in zone coverage. Campbell had a PFF grade of 90.2, which was second among LBs. Yes you read that correctly. He earned his contract of four years over 81 million dollars.
Taliese Fuaga
Taliese Fuaga is tasked with blocking a Top-3 edge rusher in Aidan Hutchinson. “Hutch” unleashed 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 14 TFLs last season. Fuaga had a 64.5 PFF grade last season. Hence, he was in the middle of the pack.
Isaac TeSlaa
No, I’m not talking about the car company. Isaac TeSlaa is one of the most underrated WR3s in the business. He had six touchdowns as a rookie! He should be a double digit TD figure if he stays healthy in 2026. I expect this game to be very high scoring, so the WR3s, TE2s, and even RB2s to be involved in the passing game.
The Lions-Saints game should be a dandy. Each team has a lot of promise, especially on offense. Tyler Shough really improved in the back-end of last season. Of course, Jared Goff has already proven to be a Top-10 QB. Each team should also be in contention to win their division toward the very end. These two teams could also see each other in the post-season.
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