On Sunday in Detroit, an apparent Jared Goff fumble that was picked up and returned for a Saints touchdown was overturned on replay. Lions head coach Dan Campbell was pleasantly surprised.
Campbell admitted after the game that while watching the play, he thought Goff fumbled. He didn’t realize until the officials explained it to him that Goff starting his throwing motion made it an incomplete pass, even though the ball traveled backward after it was knocked out of Goff’s hand.
“I’ll take that one. I’ll be the first to say, I thought we lost that one. The arm was going forward, it had a forward motion, that was how they saw it. We got one. We’ll take that,” Campbell said.
The replay ruling was correct, but counterintuitive: It would seem that when a quarterback throws the ball backward, that makes it a backward pass. Under NFL rules, however, if the quarterback has started a forward throwing motion, it’s a forward pass even if a defender hits the quarterback mid-throw to send the ball backward. That was a rule many people learned for the first time on Sunday. Including Campbell.
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Sunday’s game between the Saints and Lions included a dash of first-half controversy that kept New Orleans from scoring what would have been their first touchdown of the game.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff dropped back to throw. Saints defensive end Chase Young hit Goff while he was winding up to throw. The pass came out backward. The Saints recovered and scored.
The ruling on the field was overturned.
After the game, which the Lions won 31-30 in overtime, NFL V.P. of instant replay Mark Butterworth addressed the decision in a pool report with Ben Raven of MLive.com.
“If the defender contacts the passer prior to the passer starting the throwing motion, then it can be ruled as a backward pass. Because Goff already started his throwing motion and then the defender contacted him, it is therefore a forward pass.”
Butterworth explained that the “determining factor” is whether the passer begins his throwing motion before contact from the defender. “The throwing motion starts as he begins to bring the ball up as a part of his windup and then the defender’s contact made the pass go backwards,” Butterworth said.
It’s confusing, because the pass went backward. And, in theory, it could lead to a nutty result. If, for example, a hit on the quarterback spins him around after he begins his throwing motion and the ball goes directly backward, it’s still a forward pass.
The rule is different from the question of whether the quarterback fumbles before his arm moves forward. In this case, the quarterback’s arm moves forward but, because he was hit after he began the windup, the backward movement of the ball is still a forward pass.
Some have pointed to the nutty two-point play in last year’s Rams-Seahawks game as a contradictory outcome. Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold threw the ball backward. But he wasn’t hit while throwing the ball.
If Darnold had been hit, it would have been a forward pass.
Again, that’s the rule. It may seem strange, but it’s the rule.
The Lions and Saints played an epic Week 1 game that couldn’t be decided in 60 minutes, but after each team scored an overtime touchdown, Detroit ultimately prevailed.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough’s two-point conversion pass was incomplete out the back of the end zone on the final play of overtime, and the Lions survived 31-30.
For most of the game, it looked like the Lions would win easily: Detroit led 21-0 in the third quarter and seemed poised to cruise to an easy win. Instead, the Lions choked the lead away and easily could have lost in regulation: Saints kicker Daniel Carlson lined up for a game-winning field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter, but his 62-yard attempt missed.
There were some positives for the Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs, whom the Lions made the highest-paid running back in the NFL last month, delivered in a big way, with 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns. And Aidan Hutchinson sacked Shough twice. But for the Lions, the big question coming out of the game is why they couldn’t put the Saints away when they should have.
For the Saints, it was a heartbreaking loss but a sign that Shough is starting to grow within Kellen Moore’s offense. The heavily favored Lions won, but the Saints have to feel good about the way they fought until the end.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs became the highest-paid running back in the NFL last month, and he’s doing his best to show he’s worth the money.
It’s still the first quarter of Week One, and Gibbs already has nine carries for 47 yards, plus a one-yard touchdown that gave the Lions a 7-0 lead over the Saints. Gibbs is the sixth player in NFL history to score 50 touchdowns within his first 50 games.
Gibbs is looking good early on, and so is Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, who has caught both passes Jared Goff has thrown to him, for 27 yards.
The Saints’ offense has had one possession, on which they gained one first down before punting. They’re going to need to do more than that to keep up with this Lions offense.
A report on Sunday morning indicated cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was unlikely to be in the Steelers’ lineup for their season-opening game against the Falcons and official word on his status came 90 minutes before kickoff in Pittsburgh.
Porter is officially inactive for the game. Porter was listed as questionable with a back injury after spending all of training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
Porter’s inactivity this summer was also thought to be connected to his desire for a contract extension that never came together. That has reportedly opened the door to a trade as the Steelers have a team policy against negotiating contracts during the regular season.
Updates on where things stand with Porter for Week 2’s game against the Patriots and beyond will likely come this week. For Sunday, though, he’ll just be a spectator.
Falcons at Steelers
Falcons: QB Tua Tagovailoa, QB Michael Penix, DB Billy Bowman, DB Malcom DeWalt, LB Christian Harris, OL Ethan Onianwa
Steelers: CB Joey Porter Jr., QB Drew Allar, G Gennings Dunker, DL Kevin Jobity, DL Gabe Rubio, QB Will Howard
Bears at Panthers
Bears: QB Tyson Bagent, S Xavier Woods, OT Ozzy Trapilo, OL Jordan McFadden, DL Jayden Loving, DL Jamree Kromah, QB Miller Moss.
Panthers: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, WR John Metchie, QB Haynes King, S Zakee Wheatley, OT Albert Reese, LB Patrick Jones, DT Cam Jackson
Buccaneers at Bengals
Buccaneers: DL DeMonte Capehart, CB Ayden Garnes, WR Jalen McMillan, G Billy Schrauth, DL Elijah Simmons, OT Justin Skule, RB Sean Tucker
Bengals: WR Ke’Shawn Williams, CB Josh Newton, OT Myles Hinton, C Connor Lew, TE Jack Endries, DT Landon Robinson, DE Shemar Stewart
Saints at Lions
Saints: TE Oscar Delp, RB Alvin Kamara, OT Mason Murphy, DE Cam Jordan, DT John Ridgeway, DT Khristian Boyd, QB Zach Wilson
Lions: CB Christian Izien, LB Jimmy Rolder, DE Ahmed Hassanein, CB Ennis Rakestraw, DL Mekhi Wingo
Bills at Texans
Bills: RB Ty Johnson, WR Skyler Bell, OT Jude Bowry, G Ar’maj Reed-Adams, DL T.J. Sanders, LB Mike Danna, S Jalon Kilgore
Texans: OL Febechi Nwaiwu, CB Collin Wright, LB Aiden Fisher, OL Nate Thomas, DL Jaden Crumedy, TE Brevin Jordan
Ravens at Colts
Ravens: QB Joe Fagnano, WR Devontez Walker, WR Elijah Sarratt, G Emery Jones, CB Chandler Rivers, DT Nnamdi Madubuike, LB Teddye Buchanan
Colts: LB Austin Ajiake, CB Jonathan Edwards, RB DJ Giddens, DE George Gumbs, QB Riley Leonard, G Dalton Tucker
Browns at Jaguars
Browns: QB Taylen Green, LB Justin Jefferson, CB Noah Igbinoghene, S Daniel Thomas, CB Toriano Pride, C Parker Brailsford, G Teven Jenkins
Jaguars: QB Quinn Ewers, S Jalen Huskey, DE Bryan Thomas, OL Daniel Faalele, TE Tanner Koziol, DE Wesley Williams
Jets at Titans
Jets: CB D’Angelo Ponds, RB Kene Nwangwu, K Blake Grupe, LB Trevin Wallace, LB Joseph Ossai
Titans: CB Jaylon Jones, OL Atonio Mafi, RB Nick Singleton, LB Cedric Gray, DT Jackie Marshall, OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, LB Owen Pappoe
The Saints are set to open the 2026 season without running back Alvin Kamara.
Kamara suffered a sprained MCL last month and returned to practice this week. He was a limited participant for two days before fully participating in Friday’s practice, but was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Kamara is not expected to play against the Lions as he continues to recover.
Free agent acquisition Travis Etienne will be the top back for New Orleans. Kendre Miller is the other running back on the 53-man roster and the Saints elevated CJ Donaldson from their practice squad for Sunday’s game.
The Saints announced a few roster moves ahead of Sunday’s opener against the Lions.
Running back Audric Estime has been placed on injured reserve. He was ruled out on Friday with a thigh injury and will have to miss four games before he will become eligible to return to action.
The Saints elevated running back C.J. Donaldson from the practice squad. Alvin Kamara is listed as questionable to play with a knee injury, so Donaldson may be joining Travis Etienne and Kendre Miller as the available backs for New Orleans.
The Saints also elevated wide receiver Kevin Austin and signed tight end Treyton Welch to the active roster from the practice squad.
Five years after entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown won’t need much time in his sixth season to make history. Again.
St. Brown already has the record for the most catches by any player through five seasons, with 547. It’s an average of 109.4 per season. And his production through five years will make it easy to set the record for the most catches through six seasons.
Via NBC Sports research, St. Brown needs only 33 catches in 2026 to break the current record of 579, which was set last year by Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson.
St. Brown is a four-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro, and a one-time second-team All-Pro. Coupled with Jameson Williams, the Lions have one of the top one-two punches at the receiver position. Throw in running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and it truly is amazing that the Lions not only missed the playoffs in 2025 but also finished last in the NFC North.
That should change in 2026, especially with the Lions getting the benefit of a fourth-place schedule. With the Bears drawing the Texans, Eagles, and Seahawks and the Packers getting the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Rams, the Lions will face the Titans, Giants, and Cardinals.
In a division that had first place and fourth place separated by only two games, those three games could be all the difference the Lions need.
In three seasons, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has become a force of nature, despite sharing the load with David Montgomery. On Sunday, Gibbs embarks on his role as the unquestioned main cog in the Detroit backfield.
With a single touchdown against the Saints in the Week 1 game at Ford Field, Gibbs becomes the sixth member of the 50-in-50 club.
Fifty scrimmage touchdowns in 50 career regular-season games.
The others to do it were, per NBC Sports research, Jim Brown, Marcus Allen, Chuck Foreman, Larry Johnson, and Steve Van Buren.
Gibbs already holds the all-time record for total touchdowns in a player’s first three seasons, with 49. Given what he has done and what the Lions expect him to do, his new contract (at $22.5 million per year) could be the best dollar-for-dollar value on a second deal that the NFL has ever seen.
His 2026 debut will be tucked into the cluster of 1:00 p.m. ET games. Gibbs will have his first shot at showing what he can do as the unquestioned top tailback in Detroit on a national stage in five days, when the Lions face the Bills on the brand-new grass at the brand-new stadium in Buffalo.
One day before their first game of the 2026 regular season, the Lions have cleared a sizable chunk of cap space.
And all that it implies.
As reported by the folks at Spotrac, the Lions have restructured the contracts previously signed by receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tackle Penei Sewell.
For Brown, the Lions converted $26 million of base salary into a signing bonus. That creates $20.8 million in cap space.
Sewell’s contract had $18.6 million in base salary converted into a signing bonus. The move opens up another $14.8 million in cap space.
Most if not all veteran contracts give the team the ability to restructure the deal, every year. And it’s a simple move. The chunk of salary that becomes a signing bonus is then spread over five seasons, with 80 percent of the payment being pushed into future cap years.
With the cap always going up, the move reduces the relative impact of those cap dollars, while giving the team more flexibility in the current year.
For the Lions, that means another $35.8 million in cap space available for 2026. Which officially puts them on the unofficial Maxx Crosby watch list, along with the Cowboys.
Crosby has a $30 million salary in 2026. And the Raiders already tried to trade him once this year, to the Ravens. If the season unfolds for Las Vegas in the same way that most seasons since 2002 have gone (with the exception of 2016 and 2021), the Raiders may decide to try to trade him again — and Crosby may welcome an in-season move to a contender.
