The New Orleans Saints didn't find the winning plays in Week 18, but that won't dampen the spirits around what's been a fascinating turnaround in the first year of the Kellen Moore era.
The Saints started the season 1-7 before making the switch to Tyler Shough as the starting quarterback. After a 19-17 loss to the Falcons on Sunday, the final record is 6-11. Let's suffice it to say, the expectation for 2026 will be for a lot more than 6 wins.
But for now the Saints finish last in the NFC South, a frustrating detail, but one that means the easiest possible schedule for next year. The loss also secured the No. 8 overall draft selection, whereas a win would've dumped them to No. 11. Not the worst silver lining in a losing effort.
With all that in mind, here are my stock up, stock down players from an entertaining day out in Atlanta.
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STOCK UP
1. A bright future
There were so many things that weren't available for the Saints to work with in this game it's hardly worth complaining about the things that didn't work.
But I'll tell you what: Right up until the Saints didn't win this game, I believed they were going to find a way to get it done. I was almost surprised when it didn't happen, and that's the biggest shift I've observed this season. Rather than waiting to find out how the Saints don't get it done, we wait to see how they will.
It's a subtle, but massive difference. You can point to a lot of reasons things have turned out that way over the second half of the season, but none is more clear and obvious than Tyler Shough.
Consider that of the four WRs and three RBs available for this game, ZERO was on the active roster to start the season, and only a few were even on the practice squad. The rookie QB still competed just under 66% of his passes for 259 yards and a touchdown (he also ran for a touchdown). The game-sealing interception was a low point, but even that was followed by as beautiful of a touchdown throw as you'll see.
Oh, and remember: This is an offensive line that went into the game with former backups starting at all three interior line spots and ended the game with a backup left tackle.
It's clear that Shough isn't satisfied, and that's ideal. I almost think going into the offseason with a bitter taste might be the best outcome. It's human nature to relax a bit when success comes quickly. It's the disappointments that drive players to make sure they never have that feeling again.
There are holes to fill. There are pieces to add. There's a lot left to build for the Saints to get back to making deep playoff runs. But you have to put down a foundation before anything can be built with confidence on top of it, and that's what this season was about.
And when you have a "solidified QB1," as Demario Davis described it, all of those decisions become a lot easier to make. Saints fans are excited for the future. Now it's on the Saints to not let them down.
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2. Impact D-line
I couldn't decide which defensive lineman to highlight, so I'll applaud everyone, instead.
First we can start with Cam Jordan, who notched yet another sack, two TFLs and a pair of QB hurries. He finishes the year with 10.5 sacks, leading the team despite limited reps. It's his 9th time recording double-digit sacks in season. NINE. He basically cleared out all the incentives in his reworked deal. I find it very hard to believe he's not back next year.
Then there was Chase Young, who was EVERYWHERE in this game. He logged 1.5 sacks and improved on his own career high, finishing in double-digits in that department for the first time of his career despite missing five games. But he also contributed a pair of TFLs, a pass defensed and a pair of QB hurries. Chase Young, to use his words, has "found a home," and he's only going to get better. It's easy to forget the man is only 26 years old and he looks motivated as ever.
And let's not forget Carl Granderson, who has been a bit of a thankless player to this stage. He does a lot of dirty work and rarely gets the praise. Well he got it in this game, picking up 1.5 sacks -- his first since he was robbed in Week 5 -- and also had three QB hurries, 3 TFLs and a beautiful, athletic interception early in the game.
That's just a MASSIVE impact from a group that had major questions going into the year. Add to that the fact that despite being without Bryan Bresee and Nathan Shepherd, the defense limited Bijan Robinson to 43 yards, his lowest output of the season.
Gold stars all around. It may have been a bit of a slow burn as things transitioned to Brandon Staley's scheme this offseason, but it was firing on all cylinders in this game. Hopefully that's a sign of things to come.
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3. One-handed catches
This was far from the prettiest game you'll see, but there were two of the prettiest catches you'll find anywhere. The first was the Ronnie Bell TD mentioned above, an awesome moment for a player with a big opportunity this week.
The other came via Juwan Johnson, who took down a diving grab in the first quarter to help soften the negativity around an ugly opening drive fumble. The ball security is an issue that doesn't seem to be going away, but I'm still willing to celebrate the catch (there'll be plenty of time to complain down the road).
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Honorable mention
No one will accuse Audric Estime of having his most efficient game, but he took on a pretty massive workload and delivered more often than not. There weren't a ton of chunk runs, but he was able to generate positive yardage on most early downs, which was important in this game. He finished with 63 yards rushing on 21 carries and another 43 yards on 5 catches. It was the first 100-yard day for any Saints running back since Alvin Kamara went for 120 in Week 2. Not bad for a guy who showed up midseason ... I don't have many notes on Taysom Hill, but I do want to shout him out. He left early with a shoulder injury and had a more limited role than I anticipated, but if that's his final day suiting up in black and gold, it was a hell of a run. ... Demario Davis finishes the season with 144 tackles, which is his new high water mark. All signs point to him being back in Year 15, so get ready for the chase for 145.
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STOCK DOWN
1. Not-so-special teams (again)
Special teams was an issue to start the year. Things seemed to settle in around midseason, but those problems came back with a vengeance in this game.
With how undermanned the Saints were in this game, you really needed everything else to be perfect -- or at least close to it. You got the opposite. Here's a rundown:
- Missed field goal (57 yards)
- Blocked punt deep in Saints territory (led directly to Atlanta's only touchdown)
- Multiple kickoffs returned from the end zone
- Sketchy punt return decisions/execution (Saints switched from Nyheim Hines to Dante Pettis after two attempts for the new guy)
- Onside kick attempt didn't travel 10 yards
Any time you can point to special teams and say there was a 10-point swing, that's a massive problem. When you lose by 2, it's the reason you lost.
I'm not going to bang on the kicker too hard when you're asking him to attempt 57-yarders, but you still expect those to be made. The blocked punt was the more egregious issue. I can't say exactly who was at fault, but the pressure came directly up the middle. Someone screwed up.
I don't anticipate all that many high-level coaching changes for this staff. You'll see some tinkering here and there. But I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Saints look to go a different direction on special teams. It's simply a unit that has been a liability too much of the time this year.
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2. Goal line offense (again)
For the second time in as many matchups with the Falcons the Saints had two separate drives get down to the 1 yard line. In the Week 12 game they failed to score touchdowns both times. In this case they were only stopped once, though even the first touchdown forced the Saints to go to some trickery on third down.
I point that last part out just to observe that the Saints still haven't found a way to get that hard yard with simple football. I'll take the boot and Shough TD all day long, but offense gets A LOT more difficult to execute when you don't feel confident that you can impose your will and pick up that final few feet when you need it.
The scenario came up again in the third quarter, this time on a 3rd and goal from the 1. The Saints only had one shot at it and Estime was stopped for no gain. The Saints opted to throw on 4th down and Shough found Kevin Austin, but it was flagged for OPI. The Saints ultimately settled for a field goal. A touchdown in that situation might've led to a Saints win.
You can debate the call, but the fact that it got to that point is indicative of the problem: The Saints simply HAVE TO get better in short-yardage situations. Getting starting-caliber interior linemen into the mix will probably go a long way in that department.
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3. Health ( ... again)
I don't have a ton to say here other than the Saints put a heavy investment in overhauling their approach to conditioning, health, etc. etc. It seemed to be paying dividends until it didn't.
The Saints went into this game with 18 players on injured reserve, seven of whom landed there in the past several weeks. They were also missing Alvin Kamara, who probably should've been on IR. You could make an argument that the circumstances of the season led to the Saints being more cautious with injuries, but it's tough to square.
This looked eerily familiar to the Week 18 roster last year. That group also included Pettis and Kevin Austin, along with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in key roles, with both players arriving midseason.
All I know is that if you had gotten to this game with more on the line and had to try to find a way to win without THAT MANY key players, we'd be having a much louder conversation about how all of this snowballed at the end of the year.