The New Orleans Saints season isn’t measured by the win/loss column, instead their development and progress over the course of the season is far more important. With that mindset, fans can view the Saints loss against the Miami Dolphins as victory because of rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s improvement throughout.
The Saints offense struggled at half. A mediocre Dolphins held them scoreless and Shough only had seven completions for 43 yards, one fumble and one interception. Every possession was either a three and out or a turnover.
However, Shough woke up in the second half and began to torch Miami’s defense. He ended the day 26/38 for 239 yards, two touchdowns and the lone first half interception. Shough nearly mounted a late game comeback when he made a perfect throw to Devaughn Vele in the endzone, but the Saints came up short. Regardless, fans should be ecstatic about his performance and hopeful for the future.
Tyler Shough can continue this momentum against a tough Buccaneers defense
The Buccaneers are injury-riddled offensively, but their defense is extremely talented and capable of dominating again, as seen in their first matchup. Tampa Bay held the Saints to three points earlier in the year and forced Kellen Moore to bench Spencer Rattler mid-game.
Shough briefly saw action in the second half against the Buccaneers, but the offense wasn’t gameplanned for him. It was also his first extended action, so expect him to perform better. Since then, he’s seen a lot and has improved significantly. It will be an amazing benchmark to see how much he’s grown.
Once again, Shough’s stock is on the rise, but he still won’t be perfect. This is a great defense and he’s still a rookie quarterback. He will likely have a turnover and miss some throws, but the important thing is if he bounces back.
Shough’s goal for the rest of the season is to show the coaching staff he can be the starter next year. He’s practically in a quarterback battle against one of the QB prospects early in the draft. It’s imperative that he shows enough flashes for Moore to believe he can lead the team in 2026.
Despite a 2-10 record, Saints fans should be hopeful for future weeks as Tyler Shough’s second half resurgence against the Dolphins showed his potential. He will have a major test this week against the Buccaneers to see if he can carry this momentum. The wins and losses don’t matter nearly as much as Shough’s development for the remainder of the season.