We’re beginning to see the plans Kellen Moore drew up for his offense bring fruit. The New Orleans Saints routed the New York Jets on Sunday, 29-6, largely powered by a passing attack led by Moore’s handpicked rookie quarterback. But Tyler Shough wasn’t throwing the ball to himself. Chris Olave rose to the occasion. Now the Saints have won three in a row for the first time since 2022.
Olave’s come into his own, with his best performance this season against the Jets: 10 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns. One of those scores was a 38 yarder thrown by Taysom Hill, but he still averaged 12.2 yards per catch with Shough throwing to him. With so little help available at wideout, Olave came through in a tough spot.
What about Shough? He impressed with his first 300-yard game against the Jets, but Shough’s stats through seven games as a starter are noteworthy. He’s up to 159 completions on 233 pass attempts, a completion percentage of 68.2%. He’s gained 1,664 yards, too, a clip of 7.1 yards per attempt. He’s up to seven touchdown passes against four interceptions while taking 23 sacks. We shouldn’t overlook his 134 rushing yards and two touchdown runs, either.
Of course they weren’t the only peak performers on offense. Tight end Juwan Johnson caught eight of the nine passes thrown his way for 89 yards, including a clutch 31 yarder that got the Saints out of their own red zone. While he had some miscues early on like an opening-drive fumble and a run stuff on fourth down, Taysom Hill bounced back with 42 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards, and that 38-yard touchdown pass to Olave.
But things could be better, too. A running back corps depleted by injuries didn’t offer much help. And the offensive line was exposed as a liability. Even with other injuries impacting the middle of the offensive line, rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. had some ugly reps. Finding an upgrade at left guard could take some pressure off him, which is a problem the Saints will have to solve another day. For now, though, they can take some solace in knowing they’ve found their quarterback.