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Katherine Terrell
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough hasn’t campaigned publicly for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. His play and his teammates have done that for him.
«Tyler Shough = OROTY,» Saints running back Devin Neal wrote on social media Sunday afternoon.
Neal was one of many people — players and media — talking about Shough’s chances for postseason honors. What started as a whisper about his chances a few weeks ago has turned into a full-blown movement after Shough led the Saints (6-10) to a come-from-behind 34-26 victory against the Tennessee Titans (3-12) on Sunday.
Shough padded his résumé by completing 22 of 27 passes for a career-high 333 yards and two touchdowns. He became the third rookie in NFL history to post three straight games with at least 250 passing yards and no interceptions, per ESPN Research.
Shough, the No. 40 pick in April’s draft, was going up against Titans quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick. For Saints coach Kellen Moore, Sunday’s game provided a glimpse into the NFL’s future.
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«What everyone just watched is two quarterbacks that are probably going to be big-time quarterbacks in our league for a really long time,» Moore said. «And so we’re fortunate to have Tyler. I think Cam’s going to do a great job here in Tennessee as they build this thing. And so I thought it was a fun game.»
Shough started to draw more attention to his personal accolades when he engineered a fourth-quarter comeback similar to the Saints’ two late scoring drives against the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago.
The Saints trailed the Titans 27-20 after Tennessee kicked a 58-yard field goal to begin the fourth quarter. It looked as if Shough was going to quickly tie the game after finding Dante Pettis open on the Saints’ first offensive drive of the quarter, but Pettis fumbled just short of the goal line. Saints wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. and tight end Juwan Johnson ran into each other trying to grab the ball, resulting in a Tennessee touchback.
Shough didn’t lose his composure. On the next drive, he connected with wide receiver Chris Olave for a 60-yard gain, then Austin caught a 10-yard touchdown pass (the first of his career) for the go-ahead score.
The Saints quickly got the ball back after a defensive stop, and Shough completed a 23-yard pass to Johnson over the middle to set up a score by running back Audric Estime, who rushed for 32 yards and the game-sealing play.
Alvin Kamara or Neal, who went on injured reserve recently, is that expectations remain high no matter who plays.
«We’re here for a reason, we’re going to go out there and operate,» Shough said. «There’s no, ‘Oh man, if we had this, or this is a good opponent.’ Let’s go out there and play football, man. This is why you do it. And that’s kind of my message. What a great opportunity. Next man up, now you get to go make plays and everybody stepped up. Everybody did.»
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Olave received treatment all weekend for a back problem and said he pushed through it because he wants to play a 17-game season for the first time, and he hopes to help get Shough the award.
The Saints have not had a player win the league’s rookie of the year award on offense or defense since Kamara and Marshon Lattimore won both honors in the 2017 season. This season’s awards will be announced in February ahead of Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.
Olave initially mused that Shough had a good chance at the award depending on how Panthers rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan played against the Seattle Seahawks.
When informed that McMillan had only one catch for 5 yards Sunday, he smiled.
«Oh yeah, it should be Tyler after this game. He went crazy today,» said Olave, who had 119 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
Olave further emphasized his endorsement of Shough, posting on social media after the game: «Shough ROTY!!!»
