Detroit Lions 2026 Schedule: First Opponent, MNF Game Week 16

Former New Orleans Saints assistant head coach/tight ends coach Dan Campbell against the Arizona Cardinals Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Detroit Lions 2026 Schedule: First Opponent, MNF Game Week 16

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By John Maakaron | Last updated May 14, 2026 12:23 PM ET

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The Detroit Lions will face the New Orleans Saints to start the 2026 NFL season.

For Detroit, the beginning of the season will feature a game against the organization Dan Campbell spent many years with prior to joining the Lions.

He started as the tight ends coach for the Miami Dolphins and eventually became their interim head coach. He then served as the tight ends coach and assistant head coach for the Saints from 2016-2020.

In Week 1, Detroit will play at Ford Field in front of a passionate crowd that will be looking forward to seeing the squad play for the first time this season in a contest that matters in the standings.

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore played quarterback for the Lions from 2012-2014. Following the conclusion of his playing career, he entered in the coaching world, similar to the former NFL tight end.

Back in December of 2023, the Lions were able to defeat the Saints on the road, 33-28.

Campbell was asked in the week leading up to the game how his time being a part of the Saints organization under Sean Payton shaped him as a coach.

“I think there’s a number of things we do here that have come from there. My own thoughts, influences, as well as Brad (Holmes), where he came from, and both places are winning organizations. The thing that you always realized when you stepped in there with (Saints general Manager) Mickey (Loomis) and Sean was, man, it was all about the team, and the team started with the GM and the head coach," said Campbell. "That’s where the team started. And there was never any divide, there was never any, ‘This is our guy. We’re the scouts, this is our guy. He needs to be playing, he needs to be this.’ The coaches say, ‘No, we don’t trust this guy.’ Everybody was in the same boat."

Campbell noted he never felt a divide among the staff during his early coaching tenure with the Saints.

"Same way with the draft, same way with playing players, it was, there was never a divide. It was our guy, and it was the way that we worked," said Campbell. "And every resource in the building was to help the Head Coach and GM be the most successful they could be. So, that first and foremost, is the most important thing of any organization and Mrs. (Owner & Chief Executive Officer Gayle) Benson giving the resources needed to have success. I mean, just critically important. So, that’s where it always starts.”

It has been made official that Detroit will play on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants in Week 16 at Ford Field.

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This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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