The first game of the New Orleans Saints’ 2026 regular season will kickoff against the Detroit Lions, a team noted for its explosive passing attack and talented backfield.
As the Saints prepare to face quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, they will also have to prepare for some changed approaches on the Lions’ offense with new coordinator and playcaller Drew Petzig.
For second-year New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore and the Saints, preparing for their season debut will incorporate more than just what the Lions have done in the past.
“You’re going to have to look at two different types of film,” Moore said. “You’re going to have to naturally look at Detroit. That’s the players… that group has had a lot of success doing certain things together. And so, certainly I don’t think they’re going to stray away from that too much, but there’s going to be some assets coming from Arizona that they’re going to get to implement.”
Before Petzig became the Lions’ offensive coordinator, he served as the Arizona Cardinals’ playcaller from 2023 through 2025. During those seasons, his offenses had finishes of No. 19, No. 11 and No. 19 among NFL offenses in total yards, respectively.
Over his three seasons combined as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator, the team led the NFL in 13 (one running back and three tight ends) personnel percentage and ranked No. 7 in 12 (one running back and two tight ends) personnel usage.
With four active tight ends on the Lions’ roster going into 2026, it’s reasonable to expect a similar approach, which matches the NFL trend.
Petzig also led the league’s top offense in man/gap run percentage over his three years with Arizona, deploying the scheme on 54.2% of rushing attempts.
Last season, the Lions was the NFL’s best in rushing yards per carry in man/gap schemes with 6.08 yards per rushing attempt. However, they were only No. 18 in usage percentage, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
This is another area where Detroit could look a lot different in 2026 than in 2025.
Otherwise, the Lions are likely to stick to what works. Passes out of the backfield, lining up St. Brown in the slot (where he reeled in 72.2% of his receptions last year) and wearing teams down while changing the point of attack of their run game.
Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley will have to have a split his focus throughout the week in preparing for Detroit’s offense. If he gets it right, the Saints could put themselves in position to open up the season with a big upset on the road.
