New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the third quarter of the game at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | [NOLA.com](http://NOLA.com))
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
The New Orleans Saints (1-7) play the Los Angeles Rams (5-2) Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Saints have lost their last five road games. Here's what it will take to end that skid.
### Shough time
Tyler Shough, drafted by the Saints with the No. 40 overall pick in April, will make his first NFL start Sunday. Chances are, Shough won’t face a tougher team the rest of his rookie season. The Rams have the second-most sacks in the NFL (26). Byron Young has nine. On top of that, they are tied for the fifth-highest pressure rate in the league (38.4%). So the Saints’ offensive line will be tested. They will need to give Shough a clean pocket. A successful day for Shough would be taking care of the ball like Spencer Rattler did through the first six weeks of the season. Avoiding turnovers is the only way the Saints have a chance.
It’s asking a lot, but somehow the Saints’ defense needs to bottle up last week’s performance against the Buccaneers and take it to the West Coast. The Saints held the Bucs, led by MVP candidate Baker Mayfield, to just 212 total yards. The Rams, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, are a step up in weight class, though. They have one of the most potent offenses in the league, averaging 360.1 yards per game. The Rams’ passing attack (256.7 yards per game) ranks third in the NFL. Receiver Puka Nacua, who has battled an ankle injury, is expected to return this week, making the offense even more dangerous.
### Good start
The Saints need something good to happen early. The Rams aren’t the type of team the Saints need to be trying to play catch-up against. Especially since the Saints are starting a rookie quarterback making his debut. The Saints have spent most of this season trying to climb out of a hole. They have had 84 offensive possessions. They have been trailing for 70 of those. In five of their first eight games, the Saints have never had a lead. It would help if the Saints could get some help from special teams or if the defense can create a turnover or two to set the offense up in good field position.
It should be pretty clear by now that a lot of things will have to go right for the Saints to pull off what would be a huge upset. The Saints opened as 13½-point underdogs. It’ll take either a flawless performance by the Saints or a clunker of a performance by the Rams for the Saints to get their second win of the season. The Saints need to do all the little things right. Catch every ball that hits their hands. Hold on to the ball once they catch it. Get Stafford down when they get to him. Line up correctly. Score in the red zone. Make field goals. You get the picture. The margin of error is thinner than ever.