The New Orleans Saints may not be in playoff contention any longer, but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on how the team has been playing lately.
New Orleans is 4-10 on the season. That record may not sound great, but the Saints now have back-to-back wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. New Orleans faced a seven-point deficit against the Panthers in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, but it didn’t matter.
Rookie Tyler Shough drove down the field with just a few minutes left and knotted the score at 17 behind a touchdown pass to Chris Olave. In fact, Shough actually tied Archie Manning for the most passing touchdowns in a season by a Saints rookie with six. The play came with just over two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Tyler Shough Ties Archie Manning Rookie Record In Saints-Panthers
Shough to Olave! @Saints tie it up late
CARvsNO on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/kkzQ8FDNkP
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2025
The Saints got the ball back and worked their way down the field once again with time winding down. The touchdown pass to tie the game was good, but it wasn’t Shough’s best play of the game. The best play of the day from Shough came with 12 seconds left, right around midfield. As the Saints tried to get a bit closer for a field goal, they surprised with a quarterback draw up the middle with Shough. The Panthers had a clear lane at him and he put his body on the line, but got the yardage needed — plus a flag.
Then, rookie Charlie Smyth took care of the rest.
CHARLIE SMYTH FOR THE @SAINTS WIN pic.twitter.com/mLMeZUfKoB
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2025
What a win and what a performance by New Orleans overall. Shough took over back in Week 9 and has done nothing but impress. At the time, the Saints were a 1-7 football team. Since then, they have gone 3-3 with three more winnable matchups coming against the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Shough found a way to get the Saints where they needed to be, even without his arm in that situation. That was the case last week as well. Against Tampa Bay, he had 55 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, with the passing offense struggling.
Overall, Shough went 24-of-32 passing for 272 yards and a touchdown. He also added 32 yards on the ground. A truly gutsy performance. Now, Shough has racked up 239 or more passing yards in four of his six starts in the NFL.
If there is still a question in anyone’s mind, it should be gone. Shough is the guy. He doesn’t look like a rookie, instead, he looks like a player who can help New Orleans in this division for years to come.
