NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - **Take One: Shough’s roller coaster effort**
It’s not very often that a player plays worthy enough of getting benched and being in the MVP conversation in the same game.
But that’s exactly what happened with Tyler Shough’s performance Sunday in Detroit. To say there was a drastic shift in his play would be an understatement.
Shough looked nothing short of abysmal for the first 2.5 quarters against the Lions. He could not settle in, he was playing too fast and erratic. He was badly off target and looked completely shell-shocked. He was so discombobulated that at one point, he actually tried to throw a pass to guard David Edwards.
When he was picked off on the first play of the second half and then fumbled the ball away on the next possession, to go down 21-0, the day looked hopeless. In fact, no one would have blamed Kellen Moore if he decided to pul Shough for a series.
But at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter, Shough flipped the script. That’s when Shough flushed the pocket and hit Chris Olave on a 47-yard ad-lib completion. When the pair connected, it was if everything fell into its proper place, and Shough never looked back.
From there, Shough went on an absolute tear and roared the Saints back. Kendre Miller scored on that drive. Shough found DeVaughn Vele for a touchdown on the next. Two drives later, he connected with Juwan Johnson in the corner of the end zone to basically send the game into overtime. In overtime, Shough shredded the Lions defense and nearly pulled off the improbable comeback when he hit Noah Fant to make the score, 31-30. He couldn’t complete it though when the two-point conversion to Bryce Lance fell incomplete.
Shough finished with 411 yards for three touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. but the journey he took us all on to get that wild stat line was certainly something to watch. Overall, it allowed the Saints to leave Ford Field feeling good about their effort in the loss.
**Take Two: First quarter blues**
The early Saints hole Sunday was not just a Tyler Shough problem, it was a Kellen Moore problem as well.
We now have an 18-game sample size of Moore as head coach of the Saints and for the overwhelming majority of those games, Moore has struggled to get his team started on the right foot.
Sunday was another example and frankly it lasted well past the first period, and even with the comeback, the Saints never led at any point in the game.
Having to consistently play from behind for the majority of games is simply not a sustainable formula for success. Moore has to figure this part of the operation.
**Take Three: Controversial Call**
How did FOX analyst Mike Pereira explain it again?
‘The quarterback did not intend to throw the ball backwards’ Something to that effect, right?
The more I read that sentence, the less sense it makes to me.
When Chase Young sacked Jared Goff in the second quarter, the ball went flying backwards. Jonas Sanker eventually scooped it up and scored a touchdown to tie the game at 7.
Or so everyone with a functioning football brain thought.
The call was eventually overturned and ruled an incomplete pass. Those of us in the press box were dumbfounded. In all our years of watching football, a backwards pass that hit the ground was a fumble under any circumstance. Apparently that isn’t the case if a quarterback is in the process of getting sacked and tries to throw it but the force of the hit pushes the ball behind him.
We learn something new about football everyday.
**Take Four: Win or Tie?**
This shouldn’t be controversial at all. Kellen Moore absolutely made the right call in going for the win. Had he gone for the tie, the Lions would have gotten the ball back with over a minute left.
He had a chance to steal one and took it. The play call was intended for Chris Olave in the front of the end zone, but he was covered. Shough then had to heave one in the back of the end zone to Bryce Lance that didnt have much of a chance.
It’s certainly reasonable to debate if Moore could have used his timeout after Dan Campbell used his initially to get a look at the Saints formation.
What’s not up for debate, is the decision to go for the win. It was a correct and easy call in that circumstance.
**Take Five: Other Observations**
* Chris Olave looked every bit the WR1 that the Saints paid him to be. He had ten receptions off 13 targets. At one point, he had trainers cut his socks because his calves were burning.
* Gutsy call by Kellen Moore to go for it on 4th & 12 on their final drive of regulation. At that point, the Saints had all three timeouts remaining. Shough delivered a strike to Lance to move the sticks.
* Daniel Carlson had an interesting Saints debut. Most of his kickoffs were effective. However, his 62-yards attempt at the end of regulation was short and off-line.
* Incredible play by Vernon Broughton to steal the ball from Jahmyr Gibbs. Initially Gibbs was ruled down, but the call was overturned.
* Ford Field was incredibly loud in the first half. The place got really nervous when Shough went on his tear to close out the game.
* It certainly doesnt get any easier for the Saints with a trip to Baltimore to face the Ravens, who scored 41 points in a win against the Colts.
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