The New Orleans Saints made it interesting but ultimately fell to the Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers fans around the world had a deep sigh of relief. Tyler Shough led a late touchdown drive, but the Saints couldn't secure an onside kick to attempt a game winning drive.
All eyes were on this game with the implications on the NFC South. The Panthers didn't take care of business on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers fans flooded the stadium, and the cameras kept finding them throughout the game.
This matchup was much closer than the first time these teams faced off, but the result was the same. Unfortunately, this was the Saints first time dropping both games to Atlanta for the first time since 2016.
Tyler Shough shined through the lack of supporting cast
It wasn't pretty, and it was far from easy throughout the game. No one expected it to be. What you saw from Shough was a player who still shined despite everything around him. To a certain degree, it wasn't even about whether or not Shough could lead the Saints to victory. Sunday's game was about evaluating Shough in the face of adversity.
Shough was lining up and targeting a collection of weapons that primarily included players that didn't have 100 scrimmage yards. Samori Toure and Ronnie Bell had their first receptions of the year.
Shough threw a crucial interception in the final five minutes, but he still had his moments. Shough had an impressive touchdown pass taken off the board due to a penalty. Jalon Walker got to Shough and got a hand on the quarterback. Shough stepped up to get away from Walker, navigated through the trash and took a hit en route to finding an open Kevin Austin Jr.
As for plays that count, the Saints final drive saw two great throws by Shough. He found Dante Pettis after getting away from pressure then he delivered a perfect pass to Ronnie Bell for a touchdown. Both plays showed Shough's poise and ball placement.
On an earlier fourth down, Shough showed a similar knack for evading pressure then delivered a great throw to Johnson on the sideline. It was a play that you didn't have faith in, but Shough made it happen. He also had a big run prior to the interception and a touchdown run this week. It wasn't perfect, but Shough showed that with odds stacked him against him he could still provide quality play.