Lions survive Saints 31-30 in overtime after 21-0 lead evaporates
Amon-Ra St. Brown's second touchdown put Detroit ahead in the extra period, and a failed two-point pass left New Orleans one point short at Ford Field.
Detroit led 21-0 midway through the third quarter and still needed overtime to beat New Orleans 31-30 on Sunday at Ford Field.
Jahmyr Gibbs carried 29 times for 156 yards and scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, the first with 3:39 left in the opening quarter and the second at 11:14 of the third. Jared Goff's 19-yard throw to Amon-Ra St. Brown made it 21-0 with 8:54 remaining in the period.
The Saints answered with 17 straight points. Kendre Miller's 8-yard run and Tyler Shough's 1-yard pass to Devaughn Vele cut the margin to 21-14 by the end of the third, and Daniel Carlson's 28-yard field goal brought New Orleans within four. After Jake Bates kicked a 23-yarder to restore a seven-point cushion with 2:32 to play, Shough found Juwan Johnson from 9 yards out with 1:07 left to tie it at 24.
In overtime, Goff hit St. Brown from 4 yards for a 31-24 lead. Shough drove the Saints back and threw an 8-yard touchdown to Noah Fant with 1:34 remaining, but the two-point conversion pass failed.
Shough finished 35 of 56 for 410 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions; Chris Olave caught 10 passes for 182 yards. Goff was 26 of 39 for 206 yards and two scores, and St. Brown had 10 catches for 67 yards. Aidan Hutchinson recorded two sacks. Detroit held the ball for 36:51 and finished with 369 total yards, 165 of them on the ground, before a crowd of 62,897.