The New Orleans Saints opened eyes around the NFL with their strong finish to the season on both offense and defense, and that was only solidified this week with two key players landing significant awards.
Saints defensive end Chase Young was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month, while QB Tyler Shough was named Offensive Rookie of the Month for December.
The Saints went unbeaten in the month of December with wins over the Panthers, Bucs, Jets and Titans. Young led a surging Saints defense over that stretch with 3.5 sacks, 6 tackles (4 TFLs) and 15 pressures, per the NFL's tracking. His biggest highlight came in the win over the Titans when he ripped the ball from QB Cam Ward's hands and raced for a touchdown. Young also contributed 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks and another 8 QB pressures in the season finale against the Falcons, which technically occurred in January. The Saints began 1-8 before the end-of-year surge brought them to 6-11.
Young finished the year with his first double-digit sack season despite missing the first five games due to a calf issue. It's Young's first time winning a monthly award since his first NFL season when he earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with Washington. The season was the first of a three-year, $51 million contract extension signed prior to the season.
"When [Young] came back after Week 5, that really impacted our defense and the way they performed from that point forward was pretty spectacular," Saints GM Mickey Loomis said this week.
That defensive performance was complemented on the offensive side of the ball with the rookie Shough surging after a pair of difficult losses to open his starting career. In the month of December Shough went 91-128 (71.1%) for 1,057 yards and 4 touchdowns against just one interception, while also adding a pair of critical rushing touchdown in a win over the Bucs in inclement weather. He finished off the year with a strong but ultimately losing performance against the Falcons, going 23-35 (65.7%) for 259 yards and two total touchdowns against the Falcons, but a late interception foiled a chance for a 4th game-winning drive.
The context of that game makes the numbers more impressive, with Chris Olave missing due to a medical issue, meaning none of the four WRs and three RBs the Saints went into the game with were on the roster to start the season.
"We feel great with Tyler," head coach Kellen Moore said. "Tyler has done an awesome job through this entire process. He’s gotten a ton better. He’s taking advantage of a bunch of opportunities. We’re excited to have a whole offseason to build."
The Saints now head into an important offseason with optimism on both sides of the ball and a full slate of draft picks, including No. 8 overall, to continue building in a new coach and QB era.
