Saints Rally From 21-0 Down to Force 24-24 Overtime Against Lions

Q: Despite a dramatic 96-yard game-winning drive, are Josh Allen's heroics masking deeper defensive vulnerabilities for the Buffalo Bills?

Yes. Allen’s late-game brilliance likely saved Buffalo from a much harsher conversation about its defense. The Bills gave up 31 points and 20 first downs to Houston in Jim Leonhard’s regular-season debut as defensive coordinator. That matters because Buffalo entered 2026 openly trying to fix a defense that was a major problem last year, especially against the run. The Bills ranked 28th in run defense and 30th in yards per carry allowed in 2025, and Leonhard had made tackling and run fits a priority all offseason. One game does not prove those issues are unchanged, but it does show they are not solved yet. Houston was able to stay in rhythm long enough to force Allen into another rescue act, and Buffalo again looked like a team that may need its quarterback to score into the 30s against top AFC opponents. That is not an ideal formula for January. At the same time, the performance was not all bad. Buffalo created the game’s decisive defensive play when Gregory Rousseau beat Houston late for the strip-sack that Ed Oliver recovered, and that kind of pressure production is exactly what Leonhard wants from this unit. The defense also made the one final stop it had to make. So the fairest reading is that Allen’s heroics did not hide a collapse, but they did overshadow unresolved questions. Until Buffalo shows it can control games defensively rather than merely survive them, the concern will remain that Allen is compensating for a defense still searching for reliability.

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 13

24 unanswered points pulled New Orleans level after trailing Detroit 21-0 in the third quarter, sending the Week 1 opener into overtime.
Tyler Shough drove the comeback late, setting up the tying possession with a 43-yard completion to Chris Olave before hitting Juwan Johnson for a 9-yard touchdown with just over a minute left.
Detroit had controlled the game through three quarters before the Saints clawed back, turning a comfortable Lions lead into one of the early window's biggest collapses.
The rally became one of several dramatic Week 1 swings, alongside Buffalo's 36-31 comeback win over Houston on Josh Allen's late 96-yard touchdown drive.