Tyler Shough emerged from the medical blue tent late in Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers with his helmet in hand. The quarterback — and the New Orleans Saints — had avoided a disaster. After taking a hard hit on fourth down, the quarterback appeared shaken up and then spent a few minutes being evaluated by the team’s medical staff.
But Shough was cleared to return.
He had a ballgame to win.
The rookie quarterback led back-to-back scoring drives to pull off a 20-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers, again crushing an NFC South rival’s hopes in a game they needed to create separation in the division.
Shough finished with 272 yards on 24 of 32 passing, but it was his fourth-quarter comeback that propelled the Saints to their second straight win, marking the first time all year that New Orleans holds a winning streak.
How did he do it? Well, there’s his arm. But Charlie Smyth doesn’t make a 47-yard, game-winning field goal without Shough again taking another bone-crushing hit on a slide that got New Orleans into range for the go-ahead kick.
With 12 seconds left, Shough scrambled up the middle for four yards, but on his way to the ground, Panthers safety Lathan Ransom committed an egregious hit that instantly drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. The hit appeared to shake up Shough, who was replaced by Spencer Rattler for a throwaway before Smyth’s kick.
Shough, though, rallied the Saints from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Saints got into field goal range after getting the ball back with 57 seconds left. And the drive before that, down 17-10, Shough led a seven-play, 83-yard series in which he found Chris Olave in the end zone for a 12-yard score.
The touchdown to Olave was the kind of big-time throw in a moment that teams typically count on their quarterback.
But Shough didn’t do it alone. He had help everywhere, especially on defense. The unit, as it has for weeks, kept the game from spiraling out of control.
The Saints won the first meeting between these teams over a month ago by shutting down Carolina’s run game, forcing Young to throw, and hitting on a number of explosive plays that got their offense humming.
The rematch unfolded in an opposite manner early on. The Saints, who have had a Jekyll-and-Hyde run defense all year, couldn’t contain the duo of Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard to begin the game. And when he was asked to pass, Bryce Young made enough plays to move the Panthers down the field. That combination led the Saints to give up a 13-play, 74-yard opening-drive touchdown — marking a league-high ninth time New Orleans allowed a touchdown on its first defensive series.
But the Saints hung tough in part because they were able to methodically move the ball.
Like the last two games, Shough’s connection with wide receiver Devaughn Vele was on full display. The 6-foot-5, second-year wideout has proved to be a go-to target for the rookie quarterback, who found Vele in long-distance situations. Add in a steady, if still unspectacular rushing attack, the Saints weren’t fazed when backed up all the way to their 5-yard line in the second quarter.
Instead, the Saints churned out an impressive 17-play, 95-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown from running back Devin Neal. The series, which lasted an eye-popping 11:22 of the second quarter, was the Saints’ longest touchdown drive in terms of time since at least 2000 and 2013 in terms of plays.
Neal’s score tied the game at 7, but the grind-it-out style is a hard formula to sustain in the NFL. And even in Sunday’s game, the Panthers showed why.
Carolina quickly got into scoring range thanks to a series of explosive plays from Young. He found Jalen Coker for a 24-yard gain to open the drive and then soon after hit first-round wideout Tetairoa McMillan for a 21-yard completion. McMillan’s catch, in particular, was a blow for a New Orleans defense that had been quietly excelling in the last month.
Facing fourth-and-3, Saints defensive end Carl Granderson overshot his rush lane and missed a near-sack on Young — who sprinted out of the way and found McMillan wide open. The Saints managed to hold the Panthers to a field goal — thanks to a touchdown-saving pass breakup from Quincy Riley — but it set the stage for Carolina to be more aggressive the rest of the way.
After halftime, Young targeted Riley again — and this time, Coker torched the rookie cornerback for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 17-7 lead.
Again, the Saints methodically worked their way down the field. But the lack of explosives caught up to them. Shough was sacked on back-to-back plays, forcing the Saints to settle for a 42-yard field goal. Kicker Charlie Smyth made the attempt without a problem.
Injuries also took their toll. Neal, for instance, suffered a hamstring injury and did not return following his touchdown run. Vele and right guard Cesar Ruiz were also hobbled by shoulder and ankle injuries that also forced them out of the lineup.
But the Saints did not quit. The defense again put the Saints in a position to win the game. Like last week in Tampa Bay, the unit came up with a huge fourth-down stop and then forced a punt for good measure.
