The Detroit Lions are 1-0, although nobody at Ford Field will pretend they made the journey easy.

Detroit survived a furious New Orleans Saints comeback Sunday afternoon, escaping with a 31-30 overtime victory after Saints quarterback Tyler Shough’s potential game-winning two-point conversion pass sailed incomplete.

The Lions had already watched a 21-0 second-half lead disappear. They had already allowed New Orleans to force overtime. Then, after Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a four-yard touchdown to give Detroit a 31-24 advantage, the Saints marched right back down the field.

Shough found Noah Fant for an eight-yard touchdown to make it 31-30. New Orleans coach Kellen Moore decided he had seen enough football and went for the win.

Detroit’s defense finally made the stop it desperately needed.

That is one way to begin a season.

Jahmyr Gibbs Puts Detroit in Control

For much of the afternoon, this looked like it might become a relatively comfortable Lions victory.

Jahmyr Gibbs was the engine. Detroit’s star running back carried 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. He scored from one yard out in both the first and third quarters, helping Detroit build a 14-0 advantage.

Goff then connected with St. Brown for a 19-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter, pushing the lead to 21-0.

For a team whose initial 53-man roster was again built around Goff, Gibbs and St. Brown, the formula looked familiar. Run the football, stay efficient through the air, and make opponents defend every part of the field.

Goff finished 26-of-39 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. St. Brown caught 10 passes for 67 yards and both of Goff’s touchdowns, while Sam LaPorta added five catches for 48 yards.

Then the game changed completely.

Lions Defense Opens Door for Saints Comeback

New Orleans scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, and Detroit never really regained control.

Shough finished 35-of-56 for 410 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, repeatedly attacking a Lions secondary that struggled to get off the field. Chris Olave was especially damaging, catching 10 passes for 182 yards.

The Saints eventually erased the entire 21-point deficit, something their official postgame recap highlighted after New Orleans forced overtime.

There were defensive bright spots. Aidan Hutchinson had two sacks and four quarterback hits, while Derrick Barnes and Chuck Clark each intercepted Shough. Barnes also recorded a sack, and Detroit finished with five as a team.

But the larger concern is difficult to ignore.

New Orleans produced 470 total yards, and a Detroit defense with legitimate championship expectations allowed a rookie quarterback to nearly complete a 21-point comeback on the road. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has already spoken openly about the Lions’ championship window. Sunday provided a pretty clear example of why Detroit cannot afford many performances like this defensively.

Goff and St. Brown Deliver When Detroit Needs Them

Still, when the Lions needed their best players to rescue them, they did.

Detroit received the ball in overtime and drove for the touchdown it absolutely needed. Goff eventually found St. Brown from four yards out, giving the Lions a 31-24 lead.

St. Brown’s final line was not overwhelming from a yardage standpoint, but his impact was enormous: 10 receptions, 67 yards and two touchdowns, including what became the winning score.

New Orleans refused to disappear. Shough drove the Saints back down the field and found Fant for the touchdown that pulled them within one.

Moore chose aggression over an extra point.

One completion would have handed Detroit one of its ugliest losses in recent memory. Instead, Shough’s pass went harmlessly out of bounds.

Game over.

The Lions survived.

Detroit Gets the Win, But Plenty to Fix

There is a temptation after games like this to spend too much time apologizing for the victory.

Don’t.

1-0 is 1-0.

Detroit got 156 rushing yards from Gibbs, two touchdowns from St. Brown, a turnover-free passing performance from Goff and five sacks from its defense. Those are real positives.

But so are the warning signs. The Lions turned a 21-0 lead into a coin-flip finish and surrendered 30 points after shutting New Orleans out for more than a half. That will not be good enough against the best teams on Detroit’s schedule.

And there is very little time to clean it up.

According to the Lions’ official NFL schedule, Detroit travels to Buffalo for a Thursday night matchup in Week 2.

Four days to enjoy being undefeated.

Probably about four minutes to enjoy how they got there.