New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough made his first NFL start against the Los Angeles Rams after being named the starter by Saints coach Kellen Moore. Shough’s debut as an NFL starting quarterback ended in defeat, with the Rams beating the Saints 34-10 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
A 2025 second-round draft pick by the Saints, Shough completed 15 of 24 passes against the Rams for 176 yards, including one touchdown and one interception. The Saints trailed from start to finish in Shough’s first start, as the Rams controlled the time of possession and limited big plays. The Rams offense ran 77 plays compared to just 40 for the Saints.
Shough’s longest completion against the Rams was a 27-yard pass to Chris Olave, who finished with three catches for 57 yards. He also connected on a 26-yard pass to Rashid Shaheed, who led the Saints in receiving with five catches for 68 yards. The lone Saints touchdown came in the second quarter when Shough found Juwan Johnson open in the end zone for a 12-yard score.
The Saints struggled to establish the running game against the Rams, gaining just 57 rushing yards on 14 carries as a team. Shough made minimal impact with his legs, picking up only two rushing yards on one carry.
Shough took care of the football for most of the game, committing no turnovers until a fourth-quarter interception thrown to Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. An Alvin Kamara fumble accounted for the only other Saints turnover.
The Rams outgained the Saints by over 200 yards, finishing with 438 yards of total offense compared to just 238 for New Orleans. The Saints managed only 10 first downs, while the Rams had 30.
Shough got his first extended playing time last week in a 23-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Spencer Rattler was benched in the third quarter with the Saints trailing 17-3.
With the loss to the Rams, the Saints fell to 1-8 on the season. Shough will look to earn his first career win as an NFL starting quarterback next Sunday when New Orleans faces the Carolina Panthers on the road, before their Week 11 bye.
https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/saints-qb-tyler-shough-makes-first-nfl-start-vs-rams/article_a3b9f7fc-f4b4-4ba8-a95f-148726700bda.html