The New Orleans Saints made it official earlier this week, naming rookie Tyler Shough their starting quarterback going forward. However, for the second-round draft pick, his first opponent couldn't be more challenging.
Shough will have his work cut out for him on Sunday, as he'll be making his first-ever NFL start against the Los Angeles Rams on the road. Although there is yet to be a real home-field advantage for the Rams at SoFi stadium, it'll still be a huge ask for Shough to make his first start against their defensive line.
A defensive line, who, nine weeks into the season, are second in the league in terms of sacks with 26. Only the Denver Broncos, who have 36 sacks, rank higher. That opens the door for Tyler Shough, who in college struggled against the pass rush, to set a franchise record, but it's not one he wants: the most sacked Saints quarterback in his NFL debut. Ian Book currently holds the record, having been sacked eight times in his debut back in 2021.
Saints QB Tyler Shough will be facing one of the best defenses in the NFL on his debut
On average, the Chris Shula-led defense allows an 84.6 quarterback rating, which is the sixth best in the NFL. Furthermore, so far this season, the defense has only allowed 2,199 total yards, seventh-best in the league. Thankfully though, Tyler Shough is aware of who he is facing.
"They're probably the best in the league in terms of a disruptive standpoint," Shough said of the Rams defense. "So I gotta do my role and protect the ball, be ready to step up, find different lanes, and just be comfortable back there. Play each play for a new one; you don't know what's going to happen. Their defense is incredibly good. It'll be a great challenge for us."
Currently, the Rams defense is also top 10 in the NFL in both rushing yards and passing yards allowed, while also ranking second (only to the Houston Texans) in terms of points allowed. Saints head coach Kellen Moore himself acknowledged that they're one of the best in the NFL, citing his experiences coaching against them last year as the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator.
Shough did see this defense in the offseason, during the two teams' joint practices. However, Moore said those practices might not provide as much help as some think. "I think having familiarity with your surroundings never hurts... Certainly, I can't see that as a negative. That's certainly a positive." Moore said to the media. "What you can take away from a joint practice in August, though, is fairly minimal, just because both teams are doing very introductory systems and all that sort of stuff."
Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m., which brings another challenge for Shough. On Sunday, he will also have to be dealing with the biggest audience he's ever played for. SoFi stadium holds a max of 70,000 for football games, though it's not likely that it'll be a sold-out game.