The New Orleans Saints have yet to clarify the severity of quarterback Tyler Shough’s left hand injury, even after head coach Kellen Moore was directly questioned about whether his quarterback has a broken hand.
Shough raised questions about the injury following the Saints’ 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, October 11, when he declined to confirm whether his non-throwing hand was broken.
Moore addressed the situation Monday, but his explanation did little to settle the question.
Kellen Moore Addresses Tyler Shough’s Hand Injury
Moore was asked directly Monday whether Shough was playing with a broken hand.
“It got banged two weeks ago and he’s just wearing some protective layers there,” Moore said.
The ambiguity follows an equally unusual exchange with Shough after Sunday’s game.
When asked whether his left hand was broken, Shough told reporters, “There’s—I’m not even sure if I can answer that—it was kind of banged up a little bit this week. It didn’t really affect me, though, like I said.”
The Saints have not publicly confirmed a fracture, and neither Shough nor Moore has definitively ruled one out in their comments.
That leaves an important distinction: Shough has acknowledged the injury and Moore has confirmed that he is wearing protective equipment, but the exact diagnosis remains unclear.
Tyler Shough Changed His Handoffs Against Vikings
There was already reason to believe the injury required adjustments.
Shough entered Sunday’s game with his left hand wrapped and protected. Saints Wire reported that his left ring finger and pinky were secured together with a brace.
During the game, Shough was also observed handing the football to running backs with his right hand rather than his left.
Shough acknowledged the adjustment afterward but insisted that the injury was not affecting his performance.
“Yeah, just more of what I’ve been doing throughout the week from a reps standpoint, just as a precaution that way,” Shough said, according to the Saints’ official postgame transcript. “It made it easier in some of those situations.”
Shough also explained that he had avoided putting additional weight on his injured hand during the week.
While his left hand is not his throwing hand, quarterbacks routinely use both hands while securing snaps, executing play-action fakes and delivering handoffs. Changing those mechanics adds another consideration for an offense already struggling with execution.
The injury first became a public concern after Shough hurt his hand against the Atlanta Falcons on October 5. He was subsequently listed as a limited participant in practice before returning to full participation later in the week.
Saints Need Tyler Shough Healthy After Vikings Loss
New Orleans’ offensive problems have become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Shough finished Sunday’s defeat with just 96 passing yards and two interceptions on 25 attempts, while the Saints managed only 142 total yards against Minnesota.
The loss dropped New Orleans to 1-4 and highlighted the punishment Shough has been absorbing behind the Saints’ offensive line.
Moore acknowledged that problem after the game.
“We need to protect him better,” Moore said. “I have to call it better and put ourselves in situations where we can play more mixed-down football and throw the rock and get into play-action stuff. We’re just not able to do that right now.”
Despite the turnovers and offensive struggles, Moore reiterated his confidence in Shough.
“Tyler battled,” Moore said. “He’s the guy that’s going to help us get through a little bit of the adversity we’ve faced these last few weeks.”
Shough has continued playing through the injury, and he has maintained that it is not limiting him. But with both the quarterback and his head coach declining to provide a definitive answer about the condition of his hand, the Saints’ next injury report will draw additional attention.
For now, New Orleans is counting on Shough to lead its offensive turnaround while the full extent of his injury remains undisclosed.
New Orleans Saints Give New Tyler Shough Injury Update