The New Orleans Saints have positive vibes closing out a lost season, but don't look now -- so do the Titans.
New Orleans and Tennessee have combined to win five of their past six games. Who gets to keep that rolling in Week 17?
THE GAME | Saints (5-10) at Titans (3-12)
- When: noon, Sunday, Dec. 28
- Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Series history: Titans lead 9-7-1
- Last meeting: 2023, Saints 16, Titans 15
- Betting: Titans +2.5; over/under 39.5
- TV: CBS
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First Take with Charlie Long & Steve Geller, 8 to 10 a.m.; Countdown to Kickoff with Bobby Hebert & Steve Geller, 10 a.m. to noon
With all that in mind, here's what I'm looking for in the showdown in Nashville.
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1. QB(s) of the future?
The Saints and Titans have gotten there in very different ways, but both franchises seem to be feeling pretty good about themselves despite a combined record of 8-23. That's because when you have the quarterback, anything is possible.
For the Titans that path was a bit more obvious to see. Cam Ward was the No. 1 overall pick. He was the Day 1 starter. He's had to navigate a coach firing in Year 1 and it remains unclear who will lead the ship for the rest of his development in Nashville, but the progression has been clear. The passing numbers won't jump off the page, but the turnover-worthy plays are way down. He's taking fewer sacks, he's getting the ball out quicker and he's playing more winning football.
Ward has taken 51 sacks on the year, which is the second most in the league, but he's only taken three total over his past three games. Over that same span he's completed 62.3% of his passes for 515 yards and 6 touchdowns against just one interception. The Titans have won two of those games after a 1-12 start to the year.
Balance that against Shough, who was the No. 40 pick and didn't draw his first start until Week 9 but has since energized the team and fanbase. The Saints enter on a three-game win streak and with their eyes on the first four-game stretch of wins since Drew Brees retired. Shough put up his first 300-yard passing game in a win over the Jets after leading back-to-back game-winning drives against two division rivals.
I don't need to sit here and list out Shough's stats. Suffice it to say that he's catapulted up to second in the offensive rookie of the year odds for good reason. The Saints feel like they have their guy and, possibly even more importantly, so do the fans. There's a palpable energy in the fanbase for what feels like the first time in years, with the exception of a few short-lived good times at the tail end of the 2023 season and the beginning of 2024. Both those moments turned out to be red herrings for an imminent collapse.
So that brings me to my point: The vibes are good, but which young quarterback can come out ahead? That answer feels significant, particularly for Shough's rookie of the year candidacy. Neither of these teams had primetime games this season. Both are underexposed, but the conversations are starting. Star QB matchups drive ratings and interest. Could this be the first of many to come? If it's anything like the time these guys met up in college with a combined 661 passing yards, eight touchdowns and 97 points, we could be in for a fun afternoon.
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2. Can you stop Pollard?
It's not a coincidence that the Titans' recent run of success has matched the success of the run game. After hardly threatening the century mark once over the first 13 weeks of the season, RB Tony Pollard is now the owner of three consecutive 100-yard rushing days.
Pollard and former Tulane standout Tyjae Spears have formed an impressive tandem for Tennessee and it's one the Saints coaching staff is well aware of. Saints head coach Kellen Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys as Pollard emerged as a dynamic running mate to Ezekiel Elliott, transitioning from a WR during a majority of his career at Memphis to an all-around back.
"He’s got an extreme feel and vision as a running back," Moore said. "I think he does an excellent job with that. If you create a crease opportunity for him, he’ll find that void and he’ll hit it and he goes north and south quickly and so, you know, they have two really good runners."
The Saints run defense has often been the biggest question mark, allowing more than 100 yards on the ground in nine games this season. The good news is they did seem to shore things up against the Jets and Breece Hall, limiting a run-heavy offense to just 64 yards on the ground and a pair of field goals.
The Saints defense would be well served by a similar effort in this game, and they'll have to do so without Bryan Bresee manning the interior. He's out this week with a knee issue, but run defense has never been a staple of his game.
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3. big-game hunting
The Titans' roster isn't exactly overflowing with talent, as you would expect for a 3-13 team, but even by those standards ... the back end looks rough.
With Xavier Woods on IR, Tennessee has now paired veteran Amani Hooker with Kendell Brooks, a UDFA from 2023 who spend two seasons bouncing around on practice squads before being turned to in a pinch this season. He's sure to be attacked early and often.
The strength of this defense is its front line with Jeffery Simmons, Arden Key, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Co. I do think the Saints will make more of an effort to establish the run in this game, but it sure looks to profile like another pass-heavy gameplan like we saw against the Jets.
So who gets the big game? Chris Olave ... Juwan Johnson ... Taysom Hill. Get ready for all the action you can handle. The biggest question: Just how limited is Chris Olave with the back issue that limited him on Friday and has resurfaced from earlier in the season. He battled through it in the close loss to the Dolphins, but he certainly didn't look as dynamic as we're used to seeing. He's been getting treatment on the issue this week, something he said dates back to high school, but how effective will he be?
Fire these guys up for your fantasy football title games, without question.
I'd like to see this back end tested with some downfield passing, assuming they don't sit back in shell. If it's not him, this could end up being Juwan Johnson's first career 100-yard receiving game (he's been close a few times). One or more of that trio is going to have a big game, it's just a question of who.
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LAGNIAPPE
It's officially incentive season. So who are we tracking? Cam Jordan needs one more half sack to get to 9 and trigger another $600K in bonuses (he's already cleared the first $1.4M on that list). Nathan Shepherd also just needs another half sack to unlock $250K in bonuses. Juwan Johnson meanwhile has already set career highs in targets, catches and yards, but needs 67 more receiving yards to unlock a $250K escalator in his contract. If they look extra excited after those plays, you'll know why. ... Audric Estime is the closest thing to a lead back the Saints have at this stage, but he only logged five carries in the win over the Jets. I'd sure like to see him used more. ... Demario Davis needs just six more tackles to set a new career high for a second consecutive season -- at age 36. Remarkable.