The New Orleans Saints appear to have their quarterback -- and a formula to win football games.
It might be a little too late for the 2025 season, but anyone with eyes on the future could see the vision throughout a 20-17 win over the Carolina Panthers on a Charlie Smyth game-winner.
Tyler Shough finished another impressive day with a line of 24-32 for 272 yards and a touchdown, and for the second time in as many weeks outdueled a former No. 1 overall pick. Not bad for the old guy.
With all that in mind, here are my stock up and stock down players from another spoiler win, starting with...
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STOCK UP
1. Clutch Shough
It's really difficult not to get overhyped about a rookie quarterback when he's doing the type of things Tyler Shough has been doing, most notably ... taking on the challenge in a pair of division games and driving for clutch scores to win games while the former No. 1 overall pick on the other side fails to do the same.
That's been the case each of the past two weeks, even if it's happened in vastly different ways. In the win over the Bucs it was more about surviving the elements. Against the Panthers it was about surviving the big hits.
The Saints did their typical slow start thing on both sides of the ball. The Saints only managed 26 yards on their first two possessions, then came a 17-play, 95-yard drive for a touchdown to tie the game. But the true heroics came in the second half. After a blow to the back that sent Shough into the injury tent in between series, he emerged in a good bit of pain with a pad covering the area. It would've been fair to question whether he'd be as effective, but that question was answered quickly.
Here's the drive play for play, starting at the Saints 22 yard line with 4:37 to play and the Saints trailing 17-10:
- 1-10: Shough short middle to Kevin Austin, +11
- 1-10: Shough deep left to Chris Olave, +18
- 1-10: Shough short middle to Olave, +16
- 1-10: Shough short left to Mason Tipton, penalty, -5
- 1-15: Shough incomplete short left to Austin
- 2-15: Shough short left to Juwan Johnson, +9
- 3-6: Shough short middle to Olave, +12TD
I don't know if the pain helped Shough lock in. I don't know if the Panthers just forgot that they wanted to play defense. But man, in a moment where the Saints desperately needed it, Shough very much had it. That's what franchise quarterbacks do.
But he wasn't done there. The Saints defense found a way to get a stop on the next possession, meaning the game-winning heroics were in play. This time the Saints got the ball back at their own 9 with 57 seconds to play. Here's how it went:
- 1-10: Shough incomplete deep left to Olave
- 2-10: Shough short right to Audric Estime, +19
- 1-10: Shough short middle to Estime, +9
- Timeout, 24 seconds remaining
- 2-1: Shough short middle to Olave, +15
- 1-10: spike, 12 seconds remaining
- 2-10: Shough draw, +4 (roughness, +15)
Shough was hurt, though there may have been a bit of embellishment. Spencer Rattler took over and executed the time-killing play. It didn't matter, the stage had been set. Shough had done what franchise QBs have to do. He went and found a way to win a game by making the winning plays. When you have a quarterback capable of that, anything is possible.
Don't believe me, let's hear from the teammates:
Chris Olave: "It's huge, having somebody back there that's fearless. he took a great amount of hits today, kept bouncing back in and getting back up. So that shows a lot as a leader, and it is great for the team."
Cam Jordan: You go look at his tape and there's a reason why he led Louisville where he did. ... You don't just create a diamond, a diamond is out of pressure, hard work, effort."
Chase Young: "Tyler Shough man, he building man. Every week I can tell he's getting more comfortable. He's just starting to look like that guy."
Agreed, on all counts.
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2. Charlie Boy
I'll admit I'm slightly disappointed that the Panthers made the game-winning moment so easy. The Saints were setting up to attempt a 62-yard game-winner prior to the Panthers hitting Shough late on a slide. That meant the kick was only 47 yards. It was fair to wonder how Charlie Smyth would handle that moment.
Once the ball was struck, there was no doubt.
As Charlie told me on the field, he knew he could do it because his first kick in an NFL game was a game-winner last year in Arizona. Yes, it was a preseason kick. But for an Irish kid taking his first attempt as an NFL player through the international pathway program, it might as well been a game-winner in the Super Bowl. There was as much pressure on that kick as any he'll ever take, because a miss then might've meant today never got a chance to happen.
Just like he did that day in Arizona, the ball sailed cleanly through the uprights, and just like his first kick in a regular season game earlier this season, Smyth was celebrating long before the kick actually went through. This time he made sure to turn to the Panthers' sideline, arms outstretched, something he somewhat meekly admitted to after the game.
"Probably shouldn't have done that," Smyth said, "but a division opponent, you know, is a big rivalry or whatever. So it was a fun moment, for sure."
Don't be shy, Charlie, that's exactly what these rivalries are about. But the day was about a lot more for the Saints' new kicker. With his mom, sister and girlfriend in the building, he kicked his way into what almost certainly feels like a concrete spot on the active roster. The Saints have exhausted his call-ups and will have to sigh Smyth to have him as their kicker beyond this stage. That fact made Sunday's game wildly important, particularly after a 48-yard miss in Tampa. Any shakiness might've opened the door for the team to decide that Cade York was worth a look.
Instead it was a perfect day, with Charlie knocking through kicks from 42 and 47 and hitting both PATs without issue. He also knocked through a 46-yarder that was nullified by a penalty after the Saints decided to go for it on 4th down instead.
I also thought this was Smyth's best day on kickoffs. He didn't kick a single ball into the end zone until he absolutely wanted to on the final kick with just 2 seconds left in the game, and in that case it fully cleared the end zone to prevent the Panthers from even considering a return.
The cool special teams story for the Saints isn't going anywhere. The only thing we're waiting for now is an opportunity for him to make a crazy long kick, which only feels like a matter of time.
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3. Next man up
You hear the words "next man up" a lot in the NFL, but it's a lot easier said than done. The starter is the starter for the reason, they're the better player.
The interesting thing is when you talk about Devaughn Vele and Devin Neal, that's already who those guys are. Vele has been thrust into a bigger role with the departures of Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks, while Neal is filling in for an injured Alvin Kamara.
Vele continued to stun with an array of impressive coaches before leaving with a shoulder injury. He finished with a line of 5 for 69, with seemingly every catch coming in a clutch moment.
Neal continued to be consistent and effective. He only managed xx yards before leaving with a hamstring injury, but he did have a mightily impressive TD run.
But what happened after they left was equally important. The trio of Evan Hull, Audric Estime and Kevin Austin got the job done.
Hull only managed 12 yards on 4 carries, but he was consistent and have a few clutch blitz pickups. Estime had the biggest impact with 50 total yards, 39 of which came through the air. Austin had 33 yards on 3 catches. A lot of that action came in critical moments.
We also saw William Sherman take over for Cesar Ruiz in the 4th quarter and for the second consecutive week didn't get his name mentioned all that often. That's a win.
At the end of the day I'm concerned with the Saints' health issues, but the impact will be limited in a lost season. I don't like the Saints' odds of keeping this streak going if Vele or Neal miss significant time, but teams are only as good as the players that have to finish the game, and I was impressed with how the Saints managed that in this one.
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Honorable mention
I don't have a ton of strong takes about the OL, but for the second time in three weeks Dillon Radunz made a clutch effort play. Against the Dolphins it was a tackle to prevent a pick-six. Against the Panthers it was diving on a Mason Tipton fumble to retain possession on a drive that resulted in 3 points. ... Juwan Johnson continues to make big catches. He caught all four of his targets for 30 yards, including a bobbled catch down in the red zone. I'd love to see bigger outputs, but he's been as sure-handed as you could ask for over since Shough took over at QB. He also became just the third Saints TE in franchise history to log 60-plus catches in a season, joining Jimmy Graham and Ben Watson. ... Chase Young didn't have a huge game, but his clutch sack and chasedown tackle of Bryce Young on the Panthers' final full possession is what set up the Saints' end-of-game heroics. Prior to that it sure felt like this game was going to come down to a field goal on the other end. Young is now up to six sacks on the season and despite missing the first five games is closing in on his career-high mark of 7.5. ... For a third consecutive game the Saints got a critical 4th and 1 stop exactly when they needed it. Against the Dolphins it set up a potential game-tying drive that came one 2-point conversion shy. Against the Bucs there were three such moments, the final of which set up the go-ahead touchdown. In this case it set up the game-tying drive. At some point teams will stop testing their luck in that regard, right? Right? ... Kellen Moore finally won his first challenge as a head coach after a Tetairoa McMillan catch was overtuned in the 4th quarter. Good for him.
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STOCK DOWN
1. 3rd and 7, 8, 9, 10
For much of this game I thought I was going to come out of it complaining that the reason the Saints lost was a familiar one: Not getting off the field in 3rd and long situations.
It was dramatically close to being the case, but the Saints found the big plays when they desperately needed them. Still, here's how the Saints fared in those third and long scenarios:
- 3-7: Bryce Young deep left to Legette, +34
- 3-7: Bryce Young short right to Hubbard, +9
- 3-8: Bryce Young short left to Horn, +7
- 3-9: Young scramble, +10
- 3-10: Young scramble, +11
- 3-14: Young scramble, +7
So, six instances on 3rd and 7 or longer. The Saints failed to get off the field on four of them, and one they allowed a long enough gain that the Panthers were able to convert on 4th down. That means out of the six instances, the Saints only got off the field once. It happened to be the biggest moment, but still, that's frustrating.
It's the biggest reason why the Saints only got the ball for eight possession in the entire game, though New Orleans did still manage to win time of possession by more than 3 minutes due to long drives of their own.
The Saints simple have to be better there if they want to be a consistently effective defense, but that's a complain for another day, I suppose.
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2. The penalized
Another issue that seemed to be ironed out, the Saints have committed 19 penalties over the past two weeks. What helped in this game was that the Panthers were just as flag-happy.
Still, here's the report card:
- Taliese Fuaga: illegal formation (declined)
- Luke Fortner: false start, -5
- Jordan Howden: Low block, -15
- Fortner: False start, -5
- Kelvin Banks: offensive holding (offsetting)
- Juwan Johnson: offensive holding, -10
- Fuaga: false start, -5
- Banks: taunting, -15
- Fuaga: holding, -10
- Dillon Radunz: holding (declined)
- Banks: ineligible downfield (-5)
- Howden: holding, 10 (punt return)
That's just too long a list. What's particularly frustrating is four procedural penalties at home. It doesn't help when you're working with a lot of backups, but the Saints simply have to be better procedurally.
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3. Let's blame the visor
I really like Quincy Riley, but there's no question he was getting targeted in this game.
The rookie cornerback finished with two passes defensed, but he probably should have had two interceptions. The first ticked off his hands as he stepped in front of Xavier Legette along the boundary. The second he looked to be in perfect coverage on Jalen Coker but then lost the ball in the lights for what went for a 32-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.
Riley said the visor he was wearing was causing problems and he took it off after that play. Riley was also in coverage on a long play to Legette on third and long that Young just threw up with pressure bearing down.
At the end of the day Young only threw for 163 yards and I can't put too much blame on a rookie, but this defense gets a lot more stout when those plays get made in coverage -- and it becomes elite when those could-be interceptions become takeaways.
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A few more
I continue to dislike how Kellen Moore handled end-of-half situations. In this case it was opting to take a timeout to the locker room rather than give his offense a chance to operate with 21 seconds remaining in a game that always felt like 3 points could be the difference. I get protecting the rookie QB, but these are the situations I want to see him work in. The Saints won the game so there's no real gripe, but it's a continuing trend. If you trust the quarterback, let him play -- and also understand that you have a kicker who can make it from 70. ... Mason Tipton is in a tough situation. He's not getting a ton of touches, so each is magnified. Still, you can't be putting the ball on the ground on one of your two touches in the game. That's what happened when Tip tried to get to the edge on a run in the third quarter. The ball got popped out and thankfully Radunz recovered it, otherwise that would've been a massive momentum swing. ... The Saints have now allowed first-drive TDs in five of their last six games. For the third consecutive week it was a running back finishing it off. When you have a notoriously slow starting offense, that's a rough combination.