The New Orleans Saints beat the Tennessee Titans 34-26 on Sunday afternoon in Nashville, TN. Both sides of the ball played well despite a slow start, with the offense scoring the most points of the season. The Saints have now won four straight games and are riding high heading into the last week of their season.
Overall, the Saints played great and their performance should be praised. The offense was efficient and the defense made plays in crucial situations. However, there were still a few concerns that surfaced from Sunday’s game.
Here are four winners and one loser from the Saints week 17 victory against the Titans.
Tyler Shough continues to cement himself as the Offensive Rookie of the Year
Winner: Tyler Shough
Tyler Shough has improved weekly and had arguably his best showing in week 17. He had 22 completions for 333 yards and two touchdowns. The national media criticized the Saints for selecting Shough early in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but that’s looking like a steal. He’s now the leader to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, per Fanduel. The odds are constantly changing, so that could not be the case anymore. Regardless, Shough is looking like a franchise QB for the Saints.
Winner: Audric Estime
Audric Estime stepped up this week as the rest of the running back room has been decimated by injuries. Kellen Moore used Taysom Hill as the lead back last week but gave that role to Estime against the Titans. The former Denver Bronco shined with 14 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Estime’s a powerful runner and was breaking tackles left and right. The Saints offense opened up in the second half when he started receiving carries. Estime didn’t allow them to become one dimensional, which ended up winning them the game.
Loser: Pass defense
Cam Ward is a talented quarterback, as was was obvious on Sunday. The former first overall pick has tons of potential and is looking like the Titans franchise quarterback. However, he’s not there yet. Despite that, the Saints pass defense made him look like an MVP candidate. They were being constantly torched downfield and couldn’t limit the Titans offense. They made plays when it mattered, but it wasn’t a great showing from them.
Winner: Chris Olave
Chris Olave has been arguably the biggest riser on this team throughout the year. He was contemplating retirement this offseason after suffering back-to-back serious concussions but has bounced back stronger than ever. Olave has a career high 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns this season with one game to play. He’s been a dynamic threat for Shough and has carried this offense which is lacking elite skill position players.
Winner: Chase Young
Chase Young signed a three year, $51 million contract this offseason which is proving to be a bargain for the Saints. Young is a superstar for their defense. He had 1.5 sacks and eight pressures on Sunday, including a strip sack he returned for a touchdown. Young has a career high 8.5 sacks in 11 games this year. He’s a foundational player for the foreseeable future in Brandon Staley’s defense.