Football
The New Orleans Saints pulled off back-to-back upsets with a dramatic 20-17 win over the playoff-hopeful Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season. Here’s the biggest overreaction from the matchup:
“Had Tyler Shough started from Week 1, the Saints would be in playoff contention.”
Tyler Shough put the football world on notice Sunday with arguably his best performance as a pro. He completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 272 yards and a touchdown, posting a 110.4 passer rating while adding eight carries for 32 yards and an 80.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
The Saints offense was missing Alvin Kamara and Erik McCoy, while Devin Neal, Devaughn Vele and Cesar Ruiz were ruled out early with injuries. Down 17–7 in the fourth quarter, aside from Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson, New Orleans had to rely on Mason Tipton, Audric Estime, Kevin Austin Jr. and Evan Hull, yet Tyler Shough still sparked the offense and found a way to get it done.
The 26-year-old now holds a 3–1 record against the NFC South and is 3–3 as a starter, with the Saints winning back-to-back games and three of their last five. He also etched his name into the record books, setting the franchise rookie single-season passing record, tying Archie Manning’s rookie mark for touchdown passes in franchise history, and becoming the first rookie quarterback in team history to win consecutive games and the first to win in the Superdome, while also tying Manning for the most wins by a rookie quarterback in franchise history. Additionally, Shough is the first Saints quarterback since Drew Brees in 2020 to operate back-to-back game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, and he has already matched Derek Carr’s total wins against teams with winning records during Carr’s time in New Orleans.
With all that said, a narrative has begun circulating that the Saints would be in playoff contention if they had started their second-round rookie from the jump. But I want to play devil’s advocate and explain why I see that as an overreaction.
Based on what we saw during training camp and the preseason, Shough still seemed a bit skittish in the pocket and wasn’t quite prepared for the speed of the NFL. However, as Shough has noted recently, being patient and developing with the scout team helped prepare him for his opportunity—so it’s fair to wonder whether we’d even be seeing this version of Shough had he been thrown into the fire earlier. I also believe taking over a 1–7 team lowered expectations and reduced the pressure and media attention he likely would have faced as the opening-day starter.
Furthermore, it was important for the Saints to get a true evaluation of Spencer Rattler after having a full offseason under his belt. While that experiment ultimately didn’t pan out, Shough stepped in at the perfect time, and there were clear benefits to not rushing him onto the field.
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