New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough has been playing through a significant injury to his left hand.
The second-year QB has multiple broken bones in that hand, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. The injury initially occurred when Shough's had was hit during the first half of Week 4 against the Falcons. Shough played with a protective glove over that hand against the Vikings, but was held to 96 yards passing, his lowest output as a pro.
Shough was asked directly after the game whether that hand was broken, a question he declined to answer. Both Shough and Kellen Moore have remained consistent that the injury hasn't been affecting the offense. Shough was a full participant in all three days of practice this week.
"It didn’t really limit me at all," Shough said Wednesday. "It was just a simple kind of just switch of it on certain plays of the handoff and obviously different play actions and stuff like that."
As the QB noted, the injury could be seen affecting certain tendencies throughout the game. Shough executed all of his handoffs with the right hand, at times requiring him to reach awkwardly across his body. He was also using his right hand exclusively to get up after being knocked to the ground.
That loss to the Vikings marked the first time in 14 starts that Shough did not record a single rushing attempt. The Saints have not been aggressive in calling QB runs to this point in the season, and the QB conceded that he needed to make that a bigger part of the gameplan. He pointed to multiple plays over the past few weeks that ended in turnovers that he should've pulled the ball down and ran instead.
The offense was always bound to struggle against the league's top offense, making Sunday's matchup with the Giants a more realistic litmus test. Shough said the hand has been improving, but he intends to wear a glove as a protective measure.
The Saints QB heads into Week 6 with 1,299 yards passing to go with nine touchdowns against five interceptions. That passing total ranks 7th in the NFL. The Saints also enter the Week at 1-4 and in dire need of a get-right win before a trip out to Paris to face the Steelers.
The Saints (1-4) face off with the Giants (3-1-1) for a noon kickoff inside MetLife Stadium. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.
