Lions, happy to escape Week 1 with win, know they must 'clean this up'

The Detroit Lions beat the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, in an game that nearly ended with the hosts completely blowing a three-possession lead. The Lions , at one point up by 21 points, had to force an incompletion on New Orleans ' two-point attempt in overtime to secure the win .

"We did not play our cleanest," Lions coach Dan Campbell said in the postgame locker room, per video posted by the team . "But when we had to have it, all three phases — it's what we talked about last night, man. When we needed somebody to pull us back out of the water ... we did that in all three phases. ... That was the difference, man."

Detroit's near-collapse started with 8:49 remaining in the third frame, when Saints quarterback Tyler Shough scrambled right and found wide receiver Chris Olave deep down the sideline for a 47-yard catch. The Saints converted on third down twice and scored eight plays after Olave's explosive gain.

The Saints scored and then kicked a field goal, then scored again, to send the game to overtime, where Amon-Ra St. Brown scored what eventually proved to be the game-winning touchdown. St. Brown was one of three players to earn a game ball from Campbell after the game, along with linebacker Derrick Barnes and wide receiver Tay Martin .

"I don't give a f--- if it's one point or it's f------ 30 points, it's a f------ dub," Goff said in the locker room. "Use this s--- for momentum, boys. I promise you, we're gonna get on a roll, look back at Week 1, at that f------ two-point stop, as the s--- that got us there."

Barnes had an interception and a sack, and Martin tallied three tackles on special teams, including a couple of impressive reps on punt coverage.

"In the NFL, man, most games you play come down to the wire, and if you can just find a way to win," defensive end Aidan Hutchinson , who had two sacks in the opener, told reporters after the game. "There's a lot of talent in this league. Just win. That's the mantra."

Added cornerback D.J. Reed : "You take an ugly win or a pretty loss any day."

The Lions have a short week, set to travel to Buffalo to play the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen on Thursday, Sept. 17. It's the Bills' first game in Highmark Stadium, which opened in June.

"We're going to clean this up," Campbell told his team. "The biggest thing is right now, guys, is you find a way to get the win, it's Week 1, and then you clean the s--- up. Because it feels a hell of a lot better than the loss to have to clean it up.

"That's the thing, we found a way to win. We will clean this up, and there's a lot to clean up."