TAMPA, Fla. — Zoom in on the victorious post-game locker room, that space that has been so hard for these New Orleans Saints to occupy this year, where Cam Jordan broke the team down after they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-20 at a rain-soaked Raymond James Stadium.
It was Jordan who, earlier in the week, acknowledged the Buccaneers’ recent supremacy in the NFC South because of the edge they’ve had on the rest of the division at the most important position. And it was Jordan, referencing his own team’s quarterback, as he delivered those closing words.
But how long has it been since a quarterback in a Saints uniform went out and did what the elite quarterbacks are known for? To see Tyler Shough, wiggling out of not one but three tackles as he scampered to the end zone to put the Saints ahead for good in the fourth quarter — that feels like hope for a franchise that has been wandering in the quarterback desert.
Bucs defensive lineman Logan Hall was the first to arrive, and when Shough spun out of his tackle, he pounded the dirt in disgust. Two-time Pro Bowler Vita Vea came next, and he couldn’t corral the rookie either. For good measure, Anthony Nelson came free and was left in the dust like the others.
Shough saw daylight and sprinted toward it, and if those first three defenders weren’t going to get him, neither were the other eight. His 13-yard touchdown run gave the Saints a 24-17 lead they would not relinquish.
“That was a big-time play,” coach Kellen Moore said.
If that felt rare, it’s because it has been. Since Drew Brees retired, the Saints have had 30 opportunities to put together a go-ahead drive in the final 10 minutes of games, including Sunday. Shough’s run was only the fifth go-ahead touchdown the Saints have scored in those situations, and it marked only the second time New Orleans had hung on for a win (the other being Seattle in 2022).
Quarterback wins may not be a real statistic, but big plays in big moments do matter — perhaps to no one more than the players Shough shares a locker room with.
As he was saying how much he respected Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, Saints linebacker Demario Davis said the quarterback position was what decided the game in the Saints’ favor Sunday. In Shough, he sees someone who has the “it factor.”
The it factor being “that thing that separates some of my top quarterbacks in the league from the rest of the guys,” Davis said.
The conditions made that specific type of heroics a necessity. The Saints and Buccaneers spent most of Sunday’s game playing in a driving rain that both offensive play-callers leaned heavily into the run game.
Shough contributed two of the Saints’ three rushing touchdowns in Sunday’s game, and as a team, New Orleans turned in one of its best rushing efforts of the year, turning its 32 attempts into 139 yards against one of the NFL’s better run defenses.
But for all Shough did late, the game ultimately came down to what the Saints defense would do against Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Holding a 24-20 lead, New Orleans took over at its own 18 with 4:54 remaining. Shough converted a pair of clutch third downs with tough throws to Devaughn Vele, but he couldn’t pull off the trifecta. His third-and-11 pass fell incomplete with 1:54 remaining, and the Saints sent the punting unit onto the field — which actually made some happy.
“We’ve been waiting for a two-minute drive to be on (the defense) the whole year,” Davis said. “… It’s been a long time coming, and it was interesting that it ended as fast as it did.”
The Buccaneers needed to go 80 yards with no timeouts to take the lead. They didn’t even make it 10 yards.
With Davis in coverage, Mayfield’s fourth-down pass to Cade Otten on fourth-and-4 picked up 3 yards — the fifth stop the Saints defense came up with on fourth down Sunday. New Orleans took over and kneeled out the clock on their third win of the season.
The game started to turn early in the second half when Alontae Taylor injected some life into the Saints sideline by picking off Mayfield on the opening drive of the second half.
Trailing 10-7 at the time, New Orleans took the lead when Shough found a seam off the left end on a read option and out-raced the Buccaneers defense for a 34-yard touchdown run. It was the longest run by any Saints player this season.
Shough finished the game with modest stats as a passer, going 13 of 20 for 144 yards and an interception that was a result of a miscommunication with Chris Olave. But he contributed 55 yards and two scores on the ground and, most importantly, was a central figure in a winning effort.
Days before the game, he was asked if he was treating the closing stretch as an audition to keep the job in 2026, with the Saints appearing destined for a top draft pick — where franchise quarterbacks are typically drafted.
Sunday, the tone shifted: Does he feel he’s opened eyes with his play? Shough didn’t bite.
“I really care about what the guys in the locker room think of me,” Shough said. “I want to instill the belief that we can win out, that we can win every game, because we can.”
Watch Jordan’s reaction after the game, and maybe that is starting to come true.