New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough showed why people in the Who Dat Nation are obsessed with him. A huge contributor to the Saints' 23-22 overtime win against the Cleveland Browns, he stayed composed when needed. Shough absorbed and avoided sacks, and he truly helped push the team through all four and a half quarters.
The Saints were 2-5 heading in and were last in the NFC South, but that hasn't been on Shough, who had over 1,700 passing yards and 13 touchdowns and even averaged a whopping 39 passes a game. Given that workload and the pressure on his shoulders, it's insane that Shough stayed cooled, calm, and collected. If he wasn't able to keep his head on his shoulders, then there's no way New Orleans would've gotten away with a W.
Speaking of pressure, Shough faced it in its physical form, getting sacked five times, which is the most since week one. The pressure was more than just the sacks, as the Saints captain took seven hits from the opposing defense. Thankfully though, he was able to scramble and save the play a handful of times, with 51 rushing yards (a season high).
Saints QB Tyler Shough had an all-around day
It would be a crime, though, to talk about Tyler Shough's day and not mention what he did via the air. He was just as clutch, if not more so, in the passing game, completing 60% of his passes for 265 yards and zero interceptions. Shough was just consistently pushing the ball downfield, averging nearly 13 yards per completion.
One of his most impressive drives of the afternoon might've been his last one, when Shough led the offense 74 yards down the field to start out overtime. He put the cherry on top of his performance on that drive, ending his day with a beautiful 15-yard TD pass to tight end Juwan Johnson that forced Cleveland into a corner.
Shough was even able to chew time off the clock, and when the Browns got the ball back, they had only four minutes and 17 seconds to tie or win the game. That proved to be nearly enough, as Cleveland was actually able to answer with a TD of their own; however, they would hand New Orleans the win on the failed two-point conversion attempt.
The kind of composure that Shough showed on Sunday is why there is so much hype surrounding him. His energy as he battled, protected, and delivered was so intense that it radiated through the television screen. After this win, I don't know how he's not the face of the team.
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