Tyler Shough has done many things in his six starts, including tying former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr in one category. Following Shough's win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the rookie quarterback now has just as many wins against winning teams as the quarterback he is replacing. That says a lot about Carr and Shough.
Per Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com, Shough tied Carr in an additional category on Sunday. In the victory over the Panthers, he led his second career game-winning drive, tying the number of game-winning drives that Carr had with the Saints.
It's a fact that is honestly startling, especially when you compare the experience level the two quarterbacks had when playing for the Saints. One was an eight-year National Football League veteran (Carr), and the other (Shough) is still just a rookie.
In a fraction of the time, Tyler Shough already has more fans in the city of New Orleans than Derek Carr
All of Shough's success combined with Carr's infamy has also led to the rookie having quite a lot more fans than the other. Shough has done a good job making Carr quite forgettable on and off the field. Simply put, Shough has been a likable person all the way across the board. The most recent example of singing Bayou Bun's remix of Gunna's "wgft" that is bound to become Shough's theme song. Carr just didn't connect with the fan base in that way.
Derek Carr managed to get the three wins versus teams with winning records and two game-winning drives in 27 games played for the Saints, while Shough has already tied him in both categories with just six career starts under his belt. Things get even worse when you realize one of Carr's wins came against a 1-0 Dallas Cowboys team that spiraled out and had a 3-5 record by the time Dak Prescott was out for the season.
On paper, Shough might be on track to be the next big thing in New Orleans, something that Carr was never able to come close to. However, Shough is still a rookie. He has plenty of time to fall flat on his face, and he very well might do so in the final weeks of his rookie season. It'll be important to see how he responds when he does, because it's in those moments that you really see if a player has what it takes to make it.