In December, the New Orleans Saints went 4-0 and played extremely well throughout the month. The defense was significantly improved across the board, and the offense finally found some sustained consistency. It was the easier part of the schedule, but there were some undeniable performances, especially from two Saints players who the NFL recognized.
2 Saints Standouts Get Awarded for December Performances
Week by week, QB Tyler Shough was in the running for Rookie of the Week throughout December but never won. This was somewhat shocking, given how well the rookie was playing, but the NFL never gave him the award. Instead, Shough may have won something even better. For his performances this month, the Saints’ rookie QB was recognized with the Rookie of the Month award.
Congrats to @TylerShough2 on being named the @NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month 🔥 pic.twitter.com/J26Z3bqXNn
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 8, 2026
Does Shough deserve this? Without a doubt. He not only played well last month, but he also helped improve a two-win team, finishing the month with six wins. It was not only Shough who helped the Saints achieve this, but he clearly elevated the offense from a team weakness into a unit capable of leading comeback wins.
This stretch of performances also skyrocketed Shough’s odds of winning Rookie of the Year. Time will tell what happens with that award.
The other player who got an award from the NFL was EDGE Chase Young. While Shough may be the most important member of the Saints, Young is without a doubt the top guy on defense, and even maybe the entire roster.
When Young was out at the beginning of the year, the Saints’ pass rush had little impact against opposing offenses. When the star edge rusher returned, everything changed. Per PFSN’s EDGE Impact Metric, Young finished the season ranked 11th overall among edge rushers.
For his performance this month, Young was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month.
Congrats to @youngchase907 on being named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month! pic.twitter.com/vkI79uPPed
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 8, 2026
In December, Young finished the month with 3.5 sacks and delivered one of the best defensive highlights of the year, ripping the ball out of Tennessee Titans rookie QB Cam Ward’s hands and returning it for a touchdown.