If you were making a case that the New Orleans Saints found their quarterback of the future in the second round of this year's draft, just throw on Tyler Shough's performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His passing stats weren't the most impressive, but his two touchdown runs were the biggest plays of the game.
It would be dismissive to boil down Shough's entire game to those two plays though. He only attempted 20 passes and completed 13 of them. His final two completions to Vele showed his ability to deliver with points in his face.
The Saints just won their best game
The rain was a blessing in disguise for Tyler Shough and the Saints
Though the pouring rain changed the type of game many fans expected to see, you probably don't get to see Shough run the ball like he did. He is a more athletic quarterback than typically given credit for. Shough had an emphatic rushing touchdown in the preseason, but this was the first time we really saw it on display in the regular season.
Hopefully seeing that against the Buccaneers results in the Kellen Moore incorporating that more frequently moving forward.
This game quickly became an grueling affair because of the weather. Typically the standard broadcast camera does a good job disguising the weather until they deliver an alternate angle. That was not the case Sunday. It was dreary in Tampa, and you could clearly tell. Additionally, the field was a strong visualization of the struggles each team had with footing.
If the pure visuals weren't telling, both the Saints and Buccaneers showed the struggles in their play. After good starts by Shough and Mayfield, the quarterbacks began to have struggles. Passes were difficult to haul in, and the offenses stalled through the air.
You saw a true shift to the run game in the second half. New Orleans opened the half with back to back hand offs to Devin Neal before Shough ran 34 yards for a touchdown. The Buccaneers responded with a seven play touchdown drive where they ran nothing but rushing plays, minus a pass play that resulted in a defensive pass interference. Yes, that was because of effectiveness, but also a product of the conditions.