Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints were no match for the Los Angeles Rams in rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s debut. The Rams won comfortably in a 24-point win and were never in doubt after taking a 7-0 lead after their opening drive. Not a lot went well for the Saints in the loss, but there was one performance that we kept our eye on.
Tyler Shough didn’t play lights out on Sunday, far from it, really. However, the rookie quarterback did many things well and looked like an NFL quarterback. From the zip on his passes to the placement, he made plenty of nice throws in the big loss.
Shough’s day didn’t start well. The Saints’ offense began with three straight three-and-outs before Shough would finally lead them to a field goal. Unfortunately, that field goal drive would be followed by another three-and-out. The 6-foot-4 quarterback finally led the offense to their first touchdown of the day, and his first career passing touchdown, in a 6-play 71-yard drive to end the first half.
Head coach Kellen Moore said the Saints won’t be looking back and flipping between starting quarterbacks. While Rattler played well to start the year, his struggles allowed the coaching staff to hand the keys over to Shough. He ended the day completing 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 176 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Shough will get one more showing before New Orleans goes into their bye in Week 11. It will be interesting to see how much he grows over the second half of the season.
The Saints’ running game has been nonexistent since their week five win over the New York Giants. Behind the Saints’ failure to run the ball has been the lack of burst from running back Alvin Kamara. The veteran running back hasn’t reached 35 rushing yards since his 70-yard game against the Buffalo Bills, and the New Orleans offense is suffering from it. Kamara’s struggles were only emphasized on Sunday after his fumble as the offense was driving.
The Saints’ run game was at its best as Kamara and third-year running back Kendre Miller alternated carries. With Miller out for the year, Kamara hasn’t been effective, and the Saints as a whole have paid the price. It was true with Rattler starting, and it will remain true with Shough at quarterback: the Saints’ offense won’t work if they can’t run the ball. Having a young quarterback is one of the toughest positions in the league. Opposing defensive coordinators feel comfortable blitzing you, and the lack of a run game makes it easier.
Offense was simply too easy for the Rams on Sunday. Quarterback Matthew Stafford ended the day throwing for 281 yards and 4 touchdowns with a 140.8 quarterback rating. But it wasn’t just through the air that the Rams got the best of the Saints. Los Angeles also rushed for 171 yards, averaging 4.0 yards a carry, topped off...
