The New Orleans Saints fall short 21-17 to the Miami Dolphins in an attempted 2nd half comeback, after trailing by 16 points at the half. The Saints had an opportunity to tie the game with 1:17 remaining but their two point conversion was intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick, and even after recovering the ensuing onside kick, their final drive for a potential game-winning touchdown came up empty.
Despite the push, the deficit proved too much to overcome. The Saints offense did very little in the first half. Stalled drives and turnovers kept them from finding any rhythm. They punted the ball four times and turned it over twice, as they were completely shut out.
These issues aren’t a recipe for success and it puts their quarterback in an impossible position. It’s a situation that would challenge even a veteran quarterback, let alone a rookie still finding his footing.
Offensive struggles leave Shough with a mountain to climb
The Saints are depleted on the offensive side of the ball, they no longer have wide receivers Rasheed Shaheed and Brandon Cooks, and they were also without star running back Alvin Kamara who remains sidelined with a knee injury. Because of these factors, the offense isn’t built to dig itself out of holes or large deficits.
The Saints worn down offense put too much pressure on their young quarterback by not establishing a rhythm early in the game. They only generated 63 total yards in the first half, putting them in a difficult situation to overcome entering the 2nd half. Without consistent offensive production, the burden fell solely on the rookie, making a comeback an uphill battle.
Shough threw the ball 38 times and was sacked 4 times, their inability to run the run football combined with the large deficit destroyed any sense of balance and placed even more responsibility on the rookie quarterback’s shoulders. Despite his resilience, the battle was simply too steep, highlighting how important offensive support will be for his development moving forward.