New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore turned to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough after Spencer Rattler and the offense struggled, a move that made sense on paper. But the change didn’t spark much life into the team.
The rookie faced an almost impossible task down 11 in the third quarter against a stingy defense. Shough, who has no regular-season experience, struggled with timing and connection to his receivers. A notable miss to Rasheed Shaheed on a sharp route and a few costly sacks highlighted how unprepared he was to start this season. The Buccaneers scored nine more points, winning 23-3 over the Saints.
The Saints could not find any offensive consistency throughout Sunday’s game, and the receivers continued making mistakes. WR Chris Olave could not secure a pass, which led to an interception. Shaheed fumbled, and Rattler’s rough start included a bad interception on the opening drive. But the offense’s struggles didn’t end there, as drops continued to haunt them.
How Did NFL Fans React to Rookie Tyler Shough’s Performance?
Combining New Orleans’s infuriating lack of offense with Shough’s inexperience prompted some NFL fans to speak their minds.
One fan said, “Ok so Tyler Shough may have been a waste of a top forty pick”.
Ok so Tyler Shough may have been a waste of a top forty pick
— Proposition Joe (@410PropJoe) October 26, 2025
A fan questioned, “how is tyler shough in the nfl”?
how is tyler shough in the nfl
— Foquita (@TheParlayPapi) October 26, 2025
“Tyler Shough for the saints is actually dog S**t. Don’t ever put him back in a nfl game”, a fan observed.
Another fan said, “Tyler Shough was noticeably worse than Rattler. What is that organization doing?”
Tyler Shough was noticeably worse than Rattler. What is that organization doing?
— Tucker Blankinship (@TuckerBlanc) October 26, 2025
“Tyler Shough just missed Shaheed wide open deep, cost me 220, f***ing bum”, one fan added.
The odds were against the rookie, and although he had some misses, it was not all bad. On the first drive, Shough was accurate and made some nice throws. The drive ended only because of a pass that Olave should have secured, which resulted in an interception from Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield.
Understandably, the one play that caused the most disruption was the missed throw to Shaheed, which should have resulted in a touchdown. It was a bad miss, and with more snaps, the rookie will hit that more consistently.
Now, all focus will be on what the Saints will do with their starting QB position. Coach Moore could go back to Rattler and see if his benching could put the second-year QB back on track. The other option is to focus on the future and start Shough. This would allow the coaching staff to evaluate the rookie and decide if he should start next season or if the team should go with a QB early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Time will tell which way the Saints go, but with the Los Angeles Rams as their next opponent, whoever starts at quarterback will face a difficult task.
