The New Orleans Saints open the 2026 NFL regular season on the road against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday, Sept. 13. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT), on FOX, according to the NFL's official Week 1 schedule release and both clubs' schedule pages.

DetroitLions.com lists the game as Week 1, Sunday, Sept. 13, 1:00 p.m. EDT, vs. New Orleans, FOX, Ford Field. NewOrleansSaints.com lists the same matchup at 12:00 p.m. CDT — the same kickoff in Central time — with radio on WWL 105.3 FM/870 AM. The NFL's schedule article places Saints at Lions in the Sunday 1 p.m. ET FOX window.

NFL.com's Week 1 preview frames the Lions as trying to erase a sleepy 2025 Week 1 loss and a playoff miss. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing inherits much of last year's skill group: Jared Goff throwing to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs leading the backfield after David Montgomery's trade to Houston, and tight end Sam LaPorta due back from injury.

New Orleans, per the same NFL.com write-up, enters Year 2 for quarterback Tyler Shough after a late-season surge, with Travis Etienne signed to share the backfield with Alvin Kamara and first-round wideout Jordyn Tyson paired with Chris Olave. The Saints' tickets page notes New Orleans has not won at Ford Field since 2020 (35-29) and that the all-time regular-season series is tied 13-13-1.

This is a Week 1 road test for a Saints roster built for a turnaround and a home opener for a Lions team that finished fourth in scoring last season but still missed the postseason. Verified facts as of Sept. 1: date, time, network, and venue are locked by the league and both clubs. Depth-chart and injury designations will move through the week on the official NFL injury report.

Sources