The New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers for their second win of the season. Tyler Shough and the offense stepped up after a poor showing in week nine and impressed.
I collected three winners and two losers from Sunday’s game. This list is heavily focused on the offensive side but features one defensive player who had a strong performance and a questionable situational awareness by Kellen Moore.
With that being said, let’s get into the article. Here are the three biggest winners and two losers from the Saints victory against the Panthers.
Tyler Shough had an outstanding day
Winner: Tyler Shough
The biggest winner from Sunday was Tyler Shough. The rookie went 19/27 for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He limited mistakes by not turning the ball over and effectively led the offense. Shough took the deep shots when available but didn’t force anything. The Saints imminent future is bright with Shough at the helm.
It’s clear benching Spencer Rattler in favor of Shough was the right decision.
Loser: Taysom Hill
The opportunity is there for Taysom Hill but sadly the explosiveness isn’t. He seemingly hasn’t returned to his old self following his torn ACL last season. Kellen Moore gave him ample opportunities to carry the ball in short yardage situations but he couldn’t break free, only reaching 20 yards on seven carries. The Saints should consider Devin Neal as their power option from now on.
Winner: Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson
Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson had outstanding days. They had a combined nine receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Each had an underwhelming start to the season, with drops being a consistent issue. However, all of that seems to be behind them. Expect their production to continue to rise with Shough’s aggressive play style.
Loser: Kellen Moore time management playcalling
The biggest issue with Kellen Moore has been his playcalling in certain situations. He has a tendency to play two minute drives extremely conservative. It seems as if he doesn’t trust his quarterback completely and instead decides to mitigate the risk by running out the clock. That timidness will come back to bite him in the future. Moore needs to clean it up.
Winner: Alontae Taylor
Alontae Taylor impacted the game in every aspect he could. He’s been inconsistent this year but shined against the Panthers. He tallied an interception, a tackle for loss, and five tackles. His willingness to make plays in the run game gives this defense so much energy.
Taylor was on the trade market this week, but he didn’t let it get to his head and had his best game of the season.