The New Orleans Saints made the decision to bench quarterback Spencer Rattler in favor of Tyler Shough. The biggest winner in this situation needs to be Alvin Kamara and the Saints running game. Shough and the Saints will be much better if that's the case.
The loss dropped Rattlers record to 1-13 as a career starter, and his starting snaps will come to a pause. He has totaled 1,586 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions this season. His poor performance against Tampa Bay was viewed by the organization as the final straw in his tenure as the team’s starting quarterback. It was a decision Kellen Moore made in hopes of sparking improvement across the entire offense moving forward.
Shough will make his first career start on the road in their week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. This is a great opportunity for him to showcase why the organization drafted him early in the 2nd round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but they can't go in with a gameplan of asking him to do it all on his own. Last week, Shough threw 30 passes despite playing less than a half.
**Saints must lean on the run game with Shough at quarterback**
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If the Saints want their young quarterback to have a legitimate chance to succeed, they will need to establish a stronger run game by giving Kamara more opportunities to carry the football. The team has struggled to utilize him as the true feature back, currently ranking 25th in the NFL in rushing attempts per game.
That ranking is slightly inflated by the presence of a mobile quarterback and occasional carries from other skill position players rather than a consistent commitment to feeding their star running back.
Over the last 4 games, Kamara has averaged fewer than nine carries per contest, highlighting the Saints ongoing struggles to establish a consistent running game. Their inability to stay balanced has made it difficult to keep opposing defenses honest.
Allowing Rattler to drop back more often than he should invited relentless pressure and made it easier for defenses to pin their ears and attack the quarterback. They can't make that same mistake with Shough. Until the Saints commit to running the football, their offense will continue to struggle, no matter who is playing quarterback.