The last time the New Orleans Saints made the trip to Charlotte, they lost their head coach.
This time, they have found their quarterback.
All the talk of the Saints tanking this season and selecting another quarterback in April was likely put to rest Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
The Tyler Shough-Spencer Rattler debates are over now, too.
Shough, in his second NFL start, showed why he is the guy Kellen Moore coveted with the 40th draft pick in April.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking.
“Slow your roll. It's just one game.”
But Shough displayed everything you need to see in the Saints’ 17-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
Big arm. Check.
Poise under pressure. Check.
Accuracy. Check. (See the throw of him threading the needle on a dart to Devaughn Vele.)
Decision making. Check. (See him not taking a safety and throwing the ball at the feet of Devin Neal when trapped in the end zone.)
This time a week ago, there were still some questions. Shough was average at best in his debut against the Los Angeles Rams. But one thing we knew after that game was that Shough wouldn’t see a defense as good as the Rams the rest of the season. Last week, Kellen Moore threw Shough into the deep end of the pool against one of the NFL's best defenses. That most certainly had to make things easier for Shough for when the water was a bit shallower. The Panthers (5-5) aren't the Rams, but they aren't pushovers either. Just a week ago, Carolina went to Lambeau Field and beat the Packers.
Shough completed 19 of 27 passes for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He did his best work on third downs, hitting on 7 of 10 passes for 201 yards and both touchdowns.
Shough was sacked twice, including the first time he dropped back to pass. But it was the sack that he avoided on the very next play that really set the tone. Shough eluded a sack and found Juwan Johnson for a 52-yard completion to get his big day started. He also connected on a 62-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave.
“He’s a helluva player,” said Olave.
No rookie quarterback since Dave Wilson in 1981 had won a game for the Saints.
He'll get a chance to win plenty more. He might not have to wait long, with the back half of the Saints’ schedule a lot lighter than the front half. Teams like the up-and-down Atlanta Falcons and the struggling New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans are on the schedule after the upcoming bye week.
It seems fitting that the Saints got some answers about their future on the same field they closed the book on their past.
This time a year ago, the Saints lost to the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium and fired Dennis Allen the very next day. It was the start of the team hitting the reset button. They hired Moore in the offseason, and Moore in turn drafted Shough.
On Sunday, Moore and Shough became the first rookie quarterback and first-year coach duo to win a game in franchise history.
While Shough's decision-making Sunday was solid, there were times when his coach's decisions were not. Ten games into the season, and it's still hard to tell at times if Moore is conservative or a riverboat gambler. He goes for it on fourth down when you think he shouldn't, and other times he doesn't go for it when you think he should. But it didn't matter on a day when the Saints (2-8) were solid in all three phases of the game and snapped a six-game road losing streak.
“It was a great feeling in the locker room with everybody dancing and having fun,” Shough said. “For me, it’s just been so fun learning every day, each week the formula for success.”
Shough’s time came a bit sooner than expected. The best guess here was that Moore would wait until after next week’s bye to start Shough. Moore decided not to wait any longer after Rattler struggled in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time, most people (me included) figured the Saints would use the final nine games of the season to evaluate whether Shough is their quarterback of the future. Turns out, it may not take that long to make that determination at all.
Sunday told us what we need to know.
A team that has been trying to solidify their quarterback position ever since Drew Brees stepped out of the building may have finally found their guy.