The New Orleans Saints lost by three scores on Monday as they lost to their arch rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, 45-24. Maybe if Tyler Shough wasn't under pressure all night, the offense would've been able to claw back. But with a Dirty Bird in his face 49% of the time, there's not much more the quarterback could've done to help his team.
Hit 12 times and sacked twice, Shough was never able to really have a comfortable throw or two. On one of the sacks, pressure got there so quickly he couldn't even think about his throwing motion. At least he performed admirably enough, completing 13 of his 22 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown when facing pressure.
Despite the constant heat, though, Shough had zero interceptions on the day. He held his own well enough, and there was even one completion he had where he threw the ball right as he took a big hit for a 23-yard gain. On the day, he completed 30 of his 48 passes for 286 yards and one touchdown.
The Saints' offensive line didn't do Tyler Shough any favors
Pass protection as a whole had a major breakdown in the primetime game, with the left side of the offensive line struggling more than anyone else. In pass protection, left guard David Edwards had a Pro Football Focus grade of 51.8, and left tackle Asim Richards had an even worse day protecting the quarterback, with a grade of 41. With that being Tyler Shough's blindside, it's a miracle that he didn't get hurt that evening.
Some important context is that Richards is the backup left tackle and is only filling in for the injured Kelvin Banks Jr. But even so, getting pushed back so much that he sacks Shough himself is unacceptable. Although he won't be going anywhere, because Banks Jr. is on injured reserve and won't return until late in the season at the earliest.
It's unlikely that any drastic changes in Richard's performance happen between the Falcons game and their upcoming game against the Minnesota Vikings. In the game plan, there has to be somewhere that says 'get Richard some help.' Either with a cut block or a double team, something has to be done or else Shough's body won't make it to week 17.
The Saints QB has already popped up on the injury report and was limited in Wednesday's walkthrough with a left-hand injury. Hopefully on Sunday, the offensive line does its job and Shough doesn't get any additional injuries.
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