The Detroit Lions had a 21-0 lead in the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Saints, behind quarterback Tyler Shough, then went on a 24-3 run to send the game to overtime.
On Detroitโs first possession in overtime, Jared Goff threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. On the Saintsโ answering drive, Shough threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Noah Fant to make it 31-30 Lions. New Orleans went for two and failed, and Detroit hung on to go 1-0.
The Athletic Floats Tyler Shough as an MVP Candidate
Colton Pouncy of The Athletic wrote about what transpired in the Saints and Lions game, and he thinks Shough could be an early MVP candidate. In the game, Shough completed 62.5% of his passes (35 of 56) for 410 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed four times for eight yards. The 410 yards were a career high, made him only the third Saint ever to throw for 400 yards, and were the most by any NFL quarterback in Week 1 through Sundayโs games.
Pouncy wrote that the Week 1 performance should not be brushed off: โYes, that is a Week 1 knee-jerk reaction. Ignore it, but donโt ignore what Shough did Sunday on the road. The second-year quarterback was fantastic in the second half and nearly pulled off the biggest stunner to open the NFL season.โ
Shough Finished Last Season Hot
Pouncyโs case rests on the end of last season, when the Saints won three of their final four games with Shough at quarterback. His lines in those games:
- 20-17 win vs. Panthers (Dec. 14): 24 of 32 for 272 yards, one touchdown
- 29-6 win vs. Jets (Dec. 21): 32 of 49 for 308 yards, one touchdown
- 34-26 win at Titans (Dec. 28): 22 of 27 for 333 yards, two touchdowns
- 19-17 loss at Falcons (Jan. 4): 23 of 35 for 259 yards, one touchdown, one interception
With this trend, Shough is proving to be the next franchise quarterback for the Saints and head coach Kellen Moore. The Lionsโ defense was not good on Sunday, but letโs see what he can do in Week 2.
Shough Gets the Ravens, the Lions Get the Bills
The Saints will be on the road again on Sunday, Sept. 20, against the Baltimore Ravens (1-0). If New Orleans pulls that game out because of Shough, then Pouncy could be onto something. If Shough struggles, then it was a Week 1 overreaction.
As for the Lions, they head on the road Thursday night to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills (1-0). The truth is Detroitโs defense is going to make any quarterback look like an MVP-caliber player this season.
