The New Orleans Saints have a new league leader at quarterback.
The team celebrated Tyler Shough on Tuesday after the second-year quarterback moved atop the NFL with 662 passing yards through two games, posting on social media: “Your league leader in passing yards, Tyler Shough.” NFL.com’s current leaderboard has Shough 14 yards ahead of Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and 35 ahead of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The distinction comes two days after Shough led New Orleans to a 24-17 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, and after he moved into more rare territory alongside Drew Brees. As Heavy previously noted, Shough’s 662 yards are the most by a Saints quarterback through two games since Brees had 669 in 2009.
That is a strong neighborhood after two weeks.
Tyler Shough Followed Volume With Efficiency Against Ravens
Shough’s place atop the NFL leaderboard comes with an obvious qualifier. He threw the ball 56 times in New Orleans’ 31-30 overtime loss to Detroit in Week 1, completing 35 passes for 410 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
But Baltimore offered a different test.
Shough completed 27 of 34 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown without an interception, good for a 107.4 passer rating. He also rushed for 23 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown from the 1-yard line with 1:28 remaining, according to the New Orleans Saints’ official game notes.
New Orleans trailed 14-3 before mounting its comeback. Shough hit Chris Olave for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, then directed a 16-play, 68-yard drive that ended with his rushing score. The Saints officially credited it as the fourth fourth-quarter game-winning drive of his young career.
That matters more than the raw yardage.
Shough showed in Detroit that he could produce when New Orleans had little choice but to throw. Against Baltimore, he showed he could pair production with efficiency and finish a road win.
Shough Keeps Landing Next to Drew Brees in Saints Record Book
Brees’ name has followed Shough around for the first two weeks of the season.
Heavy previously covered how Shough’s 325 second-half and overtime passing yards against Detroit established a new Saints franchise record, surpassing Brees’ previous mark of 310.
Then came another Brees benchmark in Baltimore.
Shough’s 662 yards are only seven shy of the 669 Brees produced through the opening two games of the 2009 season.
That does not make two September games a referendum on Shough’s career. It does make the start difficult to dismiss.
He has completed 62 of 90 passes for a 68.9% completion rate, four touchdowns and two interceptions, with 11 completions of at least 20 yards.
Two games. Plenty left to prove. But the Saints no longer have to manufacture a promising Shough statistic.
He owns the biggest one on the NFL passing leaderboard.
Saints Bring NFL’s Passing Leader Home in Week 3
Shough now gets his first home game of the season.
The Saints return to the Caesars Superdome on September 27 against the Las Vegas Raiders, beginning a three-game homestand after opening with consecutive road games in Detroit and Baltimore.
New Orleans is 1-1. Shough is first in the NFL in passing.
Not a bad way to come home.
New Orleans Saints Make Tyler Shough Announcement After Ravens Win