It will only be days before the Detroit Lions host the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on the afternoon of Sept. 13, marking the start of the 2026 regular season. For the Lions, it will be time to prove that missing the NFL playoffs last year was an anomaly and won’t be the norm going forward.
The Lions, who won two of three preseason games, are set to open the matchup as a touchdown favorite over the Saints, who are making their first trek to the Motor City since 2014.
And for Lions head coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff, it’s time to get the ball rolling.
Detroit Lions Coach Dan Campbell, QB Jared Goff Call In To Detroit’s Radio Flagship
Both head coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff called into Detroit’s flagship station, 97.1 The Ticket, on Tuesday.
For Campbell, much will depend on this season on the performance of Goff, whom he couldn’t say enough nice things about.
“Every year, (Goff) does things faster,” Campbell said. “He gets much more proficient. He gets faster. But yet, he’s still on the money. I think that comes with his own maturity, his own growth, his leadership. But just the more time on task, the more he’s seen at real-time games, I mean, his growth has been exponential.”
“I just think, he’s got a really good grasp of what defences are throwing at him,” he continued. “He can make adjustments in real-time. He doesn’t get bogged down. He’s playing at a high level, and I feel like this camp, he took it another step.”
Meanwhile, Campbell touched on the one major thing he’s looking for this season – consistency.
“That doesn’t mean perfect,” he said. “I’m not asking for perfection. You’re always striving for perfection, any player will tell you that, knowing you never will be. But it is the consistency of getting your job done, battling, making sure that you give your best attempt to keep that quarterback clean behind you, to give this running back a lane that we’ve got who’s pretty special — both of those guys are special — and whoever gives us the best chance to do that is going to be the guy.”
Lions QB Jared Goff Is Excited To Get Going
The Lions are currently dealing with an injury to center Cade Mays, whom they signed during the offseason.
However, June Scruggs has been filling in for Mays, something that Goff appreciates while noting he like what he saw from the offensive line during preseason action. v
“In the last week of training camp you really felt it coming together, with Juice leading the show there,” Goff said. “I know there’s still some things going on at left guard, but Tate, Blake and Penei have been as steady as anything. And then the guys who are competing at left guard have been great too. It’s still a work in progress as far as the gelling comes, but the last week of training camp was really good and I thought the stuff they put on tape in the preseason was really good.”
The Lions kick off against the Saints starting at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Dan Campbell, Jared Goff Reveal What Lions Fans Need To Know Before Week 1