Tyler Shough’s comeback during the Saints season-opener was one for the books. The yardage was definitely the highlight of the night, but it was his near-disastrous performance in the first half that kept him in the headlines long after Detroit shut the door on them in the OT.
For starters, the Saints offense was scoreless through their first eight drives, falling behind 21-0. Shough and his offense were stuck in the mud for the first two-plus quarters. Two interceptions and a lost fumble from Shough just made it worse. The Saints were snowballing, and it already started looking like a lost cause for New Orleans.
So far, Shough had only completed 10 of his 23 passes, on top of his three turnovers.
Shough didn’t sugarcoat his first-half slump either, admitting flat-out that it sat squarely on his shoulders.
“Wasn’t good enough in the end,” Shough said, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. “Was proud of how we fought as a team…I just gotta play better in the first half; we have to play better as an offense.”
Just then, Shough’s top receiver of the night, Chris Olave, stepped up and played quarterback whisperer when the Saints needed it most.
Chris Olave’s Words to Tyler Shough
Out of nowhere, the switch flipped. Olave later revealed post-game that it was a heart-to-heart pep talk that did the magic.
“It’s just adversity. I just kept telling him he’s the best,” Olave said post-game, per WWLTV.
“He’s the best quarterback in the league. I believe that in my eyes. So just kept telling him that. Kept driving confidence into him.”
It fixed something in Shough, and he found his footing before things got too out of hand. The Saints QB proceeded to have a career-high night with 410 passing yards, finishing 35-of-56.
Shough’s blazing comeback that night also went into the Saints’ history books besides his personal accolades shelf. His 410 yards were the most by a Saints quarterback since Drew Brees threw for 439 in the 2018 season opener.
“We all know what he can do but it’s going to be adversity sometimes, and he’s going to need other people to pick him up. And that’s what I was just telling him. He’s the best. And like you said, he just bounced back. We all know he can do it, and he bounced back. He had a great game in the second half,” Olave confirmed.
Chris Olave Also Made Personal History
While brought the Cardinals back from the dump, wideout Chris Olave wasn’t just helping Shough do it—he was rewriting the franchise history books right alongside him.
Olave torched the secondary for a career-high 182 receiving yards, completely shattering his previous personal best of 148. Sure, the extra frame helped stretch the stat line, but the company he joined puts his performance in rare, elite territory.
In the last two decades, a New Orleans receiver has cracked that 180-yard threshold just three times: Michael Thomas pulled it off twice (211 yards against the Rams in 2018; 182 against the Bucs in 2019), and Brandin Cooks set the bar with 186 against Arizona back in 2016.
Olave didn’t just have a big night—he planted his flag right beside the best to ever do it in this uniform.
Saints’ Chris Olave Jumps to Tyler Shough’s Defense Following Week 1 Struggles