Saints vs. Detroit Lions series history: Who has the all-time lead?

Opening week of the 2026 NFL season has the New Orleans Saints facing the Detroit Lions on the road. It will be the first time since 2022 with the Saints playing their season opener on the road. That season, they defeated the Falcons in Atlanta to open their year.

New Orleans is coming off a 6-11 finish in 2025 under new head coach Kellen Moore. However, they finished the year on a flourish with four wins in their last five outings behind Tyler Shough at quarterback. Detroit had a 9-8 finish last season, but missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 campaign.

This will be the 29th meeting between the Saints and Lions. It will be the first time they've clashed since 2023, but the first time they've faced off in Detroit since the 2020 season. Here's a look at the series history between these franchises.

Saints vs. Lions series history

• Overall: 14-13-1
• Away: 4-7-1
• Last 10: 6-4
• Last 5: 2-3
• Longest winning streak: 4 (Saints; 2008-12)
• Last meeting (2023): Lions 33-28
• Last meeting in Detroit (2020): Saints 35-29

Between 2008 and 2017, the Saints and Lions played eight times in a 10-year span. New Orleans won five of those matchups, including a 45-28 victory during a 2011 Wild Card matchup in the Superdome. That has been the only postseason matchup between these teams. In the eight years between 2018 and 2025, New Orleans and Detroit would face just twice with each squad winning in the home stadium of the other.

New Orleans and Detroit have played each other seven times in September. The Saints own a 4-3 edge against the Lions in September matchups. Three of those were in Detroit. New Orleans won only one of those, a 22-14 victory in the Silverdome in 1988.