NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Take One: Shough Show
Anyone who’s watched FOX 8 TV shows and podcasts over the last five-six weeks, knows how strongly many of us have felt about the Saints needing to turn to Tyler Shough.
Sunday’s performance was the reason why.
Shough looked poised, accurate and explosive as he carved up the Panthers for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He was magnificent on third down, consistently navigating a muddy pocket to find open receivers downfield like he did when he connected with Juwan Johnson for the team’s second touchdown. He had four passes of over 25+ yards.
All in all, it was easy to feel the maturity of the 26 year-old rookie on the field.
It’s only one game and there are still several challenges he will inevitably encounter ahead, but at least for one Sunday, it had to feel good for the Saints organization to see the highest drafted quarterback since Archie Manning control the moment in just his second start.
The only question is, how different would this season be right now had they turned to Shough sooner?
Take Two: Defense dominates
Shut down Rico Dowdle and force Bryce Young to beat them. That was the Saints defensive game plan vs Carolina Sunday and they executed it flawlessly.
Outside of the opening touchdown drive that was aided by a couple of penalties, the Saints completely stonewalled Young and the Panthers.
Dowdle only had 53 yards on the ground, while Young threw for just 124 yards and was sacked twice.
For an offense that prided themselves on controlling the clock, the Saints limited them to just 26:39 in time of possession. Last week, they surrendered over 43 minutes to LA.
Take Three: No flinch from adversity
What made this win extra gratifying was the tough breaks that went against the Saints throughout the game.
On the gme’s first drive, an offsides penalty by Bryan Bresee negated a third down incompletion that would have gotten the Saints defense off the field. On that same drive, a Justin Reid roughing penalty wiped out a DeMario Davis interception.
In the third quarter, the Saints blocked a field goal only to have the ball rewarded back to Carolina after Cam Jordan touched it downfield.
In the fourth quarter, Davis was called for a questionable roughing the passer penalty on Young which negated yet another third down stop.
Despite that, the team never flinched and kept competing. They recovered a fumble just a few plays after the blocked field goal fiasco. Then, they stopped Carolina on downs right after the last Davis penalty.
Take Four: Welcome back, Talvin Hamara
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Talvin Hamara take over a game.
Yall remember Talvin Hamara right? The two-headed monster known as Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara.
On Sunday, Alvin and Taysom were called upon, and they delivered.
Together they combined for 32 touches in the game.
Kamara battled all game and finished with 83 hard fought yards on the ground. His toughest had to be the fourth and one run where he stopped behind the line near midfield but was able to slip through to move the sticks. He also three receptions in the passing game. On a well-timed screen pass, Kamara looked like the 41 of old on a 26-yard gain.
Taysom was used heavily in the second half and closed out the game on the Saints final drive that went 14 plays. Hill was at quarterback for five consecutive snaps, and iced the game with a five-yard run on 3rd & 4.
There was a time where Talvin Hamara was the Saints best offensive weapon. He may not be quite as effective as he once was, but it was good to see him back on Sunday in Carolina.
Take Five: Other Observations
Chris Olave looked like a WR#1 Sunday. His touchdown came on a contested catch with Jaycee Horn, the Panthers’ best cover guy, on a double move. The way he made the catch and tight-roped the sideline was impressive. His one-handed fourth quarter catch was another thing of beauty. Olave finished with five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Heads-up play by Shough to avoid the safety and throw the  ball at Devin Neal’s feet in the end zone early in the game. The Saints were officially +1 in turnover margin, but that was only because the blocked field goal mess got credited as a turnover. Alontae Taylor’s interception and Pete Werner’s fumble recovery were two huge plays. Despite the praise for Shough and the run game, Kellen Moore has to find a way to score more than 17 points in a game. The Saints were the only NFC South team to get a win Sunday.Bye week next for the Saints, when they return they’ll face another winnable opponent at home against Atlanta.
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