The New Orleans Saints’ comeback from their first-quarter disaster will get a prime spot in the Week 2 highlight reel.
In an absolute white-knuckle swing of a game, the Ravens controlled the tempo and built a 17-9 lead late into the third quarter, making New Orleans look completely stuck in the mud after another sluggish first half.
However, the bottom completely fell out for Baltimore’s defense right when they needed to lock it down. The Saints clawed their way back, tying it up at 17-all on a Shough-to-Olave strike and a 2-point punch-in.
Orleans kept the chains moving until the clock ran out by converting crucial fourth downs under intense pressure, capped off by Shough’s game-winning fourth-down sneak with 1:28 left, followed by Lamar Jackson throwing a desperate late interception to seal the collapse.
Tyler Shough Calls Out Costly Penalties
Tyler Shough said it was just as much of a roller coaster for them on the field.
“Man, we were just fighting the whole time,” Shough told CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala post-game. “Our group, we work hard every single day, and this is the closest unit any of us has ever been a part of. We just love the grind. We love the battle.”
As much as Shough loved praising his teammates and their collective efforts, he was aware of the reality check their offense needed.
Just like Kellen Moore’s offense in Week 1, the Saints came out flat, struggling to sustain drives and completely missing any rhythm in the first half. They ran completely dry, going scoreless in their first quarter, again.
Salt to wound, early penalties and procedural mistakes constantly put the Saints behind the Ravens on the scoreboard, stalling out what could have been scoring drives and letting Baltimore dictate the tempo.
And just like last week, Shough called it out this week too.
“We got some penalties early on that killed us. We were shooting ourselves in the foot, but we were able to clean that up. So the only person that was stopping us was ourselves, and we’ve got to be able to start better.”
Tyler Shough Praised Julian Blackmon as MVP candidate
Shough’s reaction to Julian Blackmon intercepting Lamar Jackson’s pass with 13 seconds left said it all.
“Unbelievable job—I mean, he’s an MVP candidate, one of the best players in the NFL,” Shough said, vouching for his teammate. “For them to step up like that, they’ve been working hard all week. They make it tough on us in practice, and it just shows who they are as a defense, man.”
Kellen Moore needed this win after they fell to the Lions last week in another overtime thriller. The Saints were desperate for a win, and they finally got one.
However, Moore has a reputation for slow starts since he took over as the head coach in 2025.
Proving this win wasn’t a fluke — and actually improving their first-quarter performance would be the impending tall order as they prepare for their first home game this season vs. the Las Vegas Raiders next week.
Tyler Shough Says What Needed to be Said After Saints Hold Off Ravens