Down big against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints needed a spark on offense. A decision was finally made to substitute in rookie quarterback Tyler Shough for his first NFL snaps.
What Forced This Move To Happen?
So far this year, second-year QB Spencer Rattler has played pretty well, holding off the idea that his starting spot could be taken away. The first glimpse of a potential move came after Rattler’s disappointing performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 8.
On the following Monday, HC Kellen Moore said the QB evaluation will be a “week-to-week” process. For the first time this season, the Saints seemed open to rookie Tyler Shough coming in at QB, but at that point, it was still too early, and Rattler was named the starter.
Going into Sunday’s game against the Bucs, the hope was that Rattler could bounce back. Instead, he fumbled on the first drive of the game, missed open receivers, threw an embarrassing interception, and left clean pockets way too early. It didn’t help that the entire offense was making mistakes, and the defense was actually doing really well.
Somehow, Kellen Moore needed to find a spark on offense, which led to the QB move.
How Did Tyler Shough Look?
It was going to be a near-impossible challenge for Shough to win this game for the Saints, but in a small sample size, it wasn’t bad. He threw some accurate throws, broke a few tackles that would have been sacks, ran for extra yards, and wasn’t scared to throw down the field.
This was a performance to build upon, but it wasn’t perfect. He missed a wide-open Rashid Shaheed for a touchdown, was scared in the pocket, and the timing was off.
After the loss in the post-game press conference, Kellen Moore was noncommittal about which QB would be starting next week. He emphasized the idea of getting a “spark” to the offense, and which QB will give this team the best chance of winning.
Whoever the Saints plan to make the starting QB will face a challenge, as the team travels to Los Angeles to face the Rams.
