Tyler Shough‘s first game of his second season starting for the Saints may have ended in heartbreak, but he earned something far more valuable in the 31-30 thriller between New Orleans and Detroit.
In his 10th start for the Saints, Shough passed for a career-high 410 yards, joining the upper franchise circle, which includes New Orleans legend Drew Brees and Aaron Brooks, as only the third Saints player to throw for 400+ yards.
Tyler Shough Smashes Saints History with Personal Record
The New Orleans Saints official website also noted how his 410 passing yards mark the 18th highest total in franchise history and the 18th 400+ yard passing game.
“His 325 passing yards in the second half and overtime marks a club-best for passing yardage in a second half/overtime and is tied for the 17th-highest total in NFL record books Shough also rushed four times for eight yards in the contest,” the official website reported.
Shough’s performance on Sunday made it clear that the Saints have their signal-caller locked amid the plenty of roster fixes they still need. Veteran wide receiver Chris Olave agrees.
“He’s a winner,” wide receiver Chris Olave said. “He’s a competitor. That’s what we want at quarterback.”
While Shough’s performance was the highlight reel of the Saints season-opener, it took him a while to find his footing.
Shough and the offense completely stalled out early. Shough struggled out of the gate with two early interceptions and a lost fumble on a sack, which allowed Detroit to build a comfortable cushion and control the tempo. Those early mistakes were what ultimately resulted in the single-digit loss.
Tyler Shough, Kellen Moore Proud of Team’s Efforts
In his post-game press conference, Shough praised his team for fighting till the very end, but mentioned how they need to change how they handle things offensively.
“I was proud of how we fought as a team and and how regardless of the adversity circumstances, we were kept going and I just got to play better in the first half,” Shough said post-game.
“We got to play better as an offense, get a rhythm going. We just kind of were too inconsistent. Credit to them. They had a lot of really unscouted looks, and obviously it’s a first game. There’s going to be some new looks and we just got to be able to to handle that swing better and, it was a it was a good fight to the end.”
The problems were undoubtedly there, but for head coach Kellen Moore, it was his squad’s ability to fight it out till the end that stayed with him even after they lost.
“Love the way our guys fought and battled,” Moore said in his press conference post-loss.
“And we rode a little bit of a roller coaster in all three phases, I think, at times in this game. Gave ourselves a heck of a chance to go win this thing. And so proud of the way our guys battled and competed and continued to keep going for it.”
Tyler Shough Joins Drew Brees, Aaron Brooks in Saints History Even After Loss vs. Lions