Whew. New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough helped his case for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in Sunday’s duel with Tennessee Titans passer Cam Ward, this year’s first overall pick; Shough completed 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards with two touchdowns in a 34-26 win on the road. That was the Saints’ fourth consecutive win and it put Shough at 5-3 as a starter. He’s continuing to build momentum down the stretch.

We kept up with the highlights, injury updates, records and other notable moments from the game right here. Get up to speed:

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Cameron Jordan gets his $600,000 bonus with another sack

This was a funny play. At first, it looked like Cam Ward kept the play alive on fourth down and threw a heads-up conversion at the two-minute warning. But instant replay review found that Cameron Jordan hit Ward before the throw, sending the quarterback to his knees and going down as a sack. That put Jordan at 9.5 sacks this year and triggered a $600,000 incentive in his contract. Jordan rushed Ward again in the final seconds, pressuring Ward into an incomplete pass. New Orleans wins.

Audric Estime scores on the Saints’ longest rush by a RB in years

Estime has shown us some nice things today. The second-year running back bounced away from contact at the line of scrimmage to spin out into the open field and rush for 32 yards on a go-ahead touchdown. That’s the longest carry by a Saints running back since Alvin Kamara ran for 40 yards on Christmas Day, 2020. Saints 34, Titans 26

Tyler Shough ties it up, Charlie Smyth takes the lead

Whew. First, Tyler Shough flipped the field with a 60-yard pass to Chris Olave. Then he threw a strike to Kevin Austin Jr. in the end zone. That tied things up at 26-26, and Charlie Smyth’s extra point gave the Saints their first lead of the afternoon. Saints 27, Titans 26

Saints fumble their game-tying score into the end zone

Talk about a comedy of errors. Backup wide receiver Dante Pettis made a great move in the open field and spun away from contact to dive for the end zone — a play that should have scored a Saints touchdown and tied us up at 26-26. Instead, Pettis fumbled the ball short of the goal line, and two of his teammates collided with each other when they tried to recover it in the end zone. The Titans got the ball instead, which created a touchback, and the Saints got no points from what would have been their most exciting play on offense all day.

Unbelievable sequence of events. Pettis makes multiple men miss but fumbles it before the endzone, recovered by the defense. Touchback pic.twitter.com/2lOcFSUwui

— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) December 28, 2025Titans kicker Joey Slye raises the bar with a 58-yard field goal

Tennessee’s lead is shrinking. After rookie quarterback Cam Ward managed to escape pressure and pick up a long third down, the Saints defense held the Titans to a long 58-yard field goal. Joey Slye made the kick, but now it’s a one-score game. Titans 26, Saints 20

Charlie Smyth sets a new career-long field goal

The rookie kicker continued to make up for his miss from 43 yards with another long field goal, this time from 57 yards — beating his career-high of 56 yards. That made it a three-point game. Titans 23, Saints 20

Saints cut into the deficit with a Chris Olave touchdown

Tyler Shough led a smooth nine-play, 74-yard scoring drive to start the second half, capping it with a beauty of a 19-yard touchdown pass to his No. 1 receiver. The Titans responded with a big play and a short field goal of their own on the next drive. Titans 23, Saints 17

Titans extend their lead before halftime thanks to a Saints penalty

This was an ugly sequence. Veteran safety Justin Reid committed blatant pass interference to save the Saints from giving up a deep touchdown catch inside the final minute, but it wasn’t to last. A couple of plays later Cam Ward rifled a touchdown pass to give the Titans a double-digit lead. Titans 20, Saints 10

Chase Young rips the ball away for a Saints touchdown

Wow. Chase Young just ripped the ball out of Cam Ward’s hands to sprint 33 yards to the end zone for a defensive touchdown. It’s unconventional, but we’ll take it. He sacked Ward on the play, too, putting him at eight sacks on the year. That’s a career high but he’s only played in eleven games. Titans 13, Saints 10

Charlie Smyth redeems himself with 56-yard field goal

The rookie kicker from Ireland got the Saints on the board, matching his career-long field goal with a 56 yarder late in the second quarter. It’s better than nothing, but the Saints have more work to do in cutting into this deficit. Titans 13, Saints 3

Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry gets embarrassed on TD

This was a low moment for the second-year cornerback. Kool-Aid McKinstry was beaten in coverage by tight end Chig Okonkwo for a too-easy catch on first down, but then it got worse. He was too slow to react and tackle Okonkwo cleanly, instead desperately swiping at the football, which he missed. Okonkwo shrugged him off and trotted into the end zone for a score. Titans 13, Saints 0

Titans QB Cam Ward hits a 38-yard pass

At least the Saints held Tennessee to a field goal here. Titans wideout Chimere Dike ran past Alontae Taylor and found a space in the zone underneath rookie safety Jonas Sanker for a 38-yard connection. But that was about as far as they went before kicking another field goal. Titans 6, Saints 0

Tyler Shough, Kevin Austin Jr. flip the field

This was a nice design by Kellen Moore to free Kevin Austin Jr. up down the sideline, and Tyler Shough threw a great pass to hit him in stride and pick up more yards after the catch. That got the Saints from their own 35-yard line to the Tennessee 29. But their drive stalled out after that when Shough and Austin weren’t on the same page on third down. To make it worse, Charlie Smyth kicked a field goal that leaned too far left and away from the goal post.

Titans DL Jeffery Simmons makes a sack-fumble right away

Jeffery Simmons flew past backup right guard William Sherman to sack Tyler Shough and force out the ball. While the Saints recovered that fumble on third down, rookie punter Kai Kroeger shanked a kick into the Tennessee sideline after just 17 yards. To recap: the first Titans drive ended at the New Orleans 49. The Saints started at their own 20 and ended with a punt that set up the Titans at the New Orleans 35. Tennessee got on the board first with a 50-yard field goal from Joey Slye. Titans 3, Saints 0

Saints tight end Jack Stoll exits with an injury

Stoll was rolled up on during the first play from scrimmage, injuring his leg on the way down, and he needed help getting off the field and into the blue medical tent on the sideline. The Saints are already shorthanded at tight end with Foster Moreau and Zaire Mitchell-Paden both unavailable due to injuries of their own. That leaves them with Juwan Johnson, Moliki Matavao, and Treyton Welch, plus Taysom Hill. The Saints later said Stoll would not return due to a knee injury.

Saints win the opening coin toss, elect to defer

It’ll be Cam Ward and the Titans offense starting the game against Brandon Staley’s Saints defense. New Orleans will receive the opening kickoff to start the second half. Tennessee drove up to the Saints’ 49-yard line but was forced to punt it away.

Where do Saints pick in 2026 draft with a win or loss?

The Saints go into Week 17 with a 5-10 record and a .498 strength of schedule tiebreaker, which puts them at the No. 8 overall pick. With a win, they could move as far back as 11th. A loss probably keeps them where they are depending on how other games shake out.

Cameron Jordan closing in on a six-figure incentive

This might be the most valuable half-sack in NFL history. Cameron Jordan goes into this game with 8.5 sacks on the year, and another half-sack would trigger a $600,000 contract incentive written into his contract for reaching 9 sacks. That would also put him at 131.5 in his career, good for 17th all-time behind Lawrence Taylor and Leslie O’Neal (132.5 each). Titans quarterback Cam Ward would be the 52nd passer Jordan has sacked in his career, too.

Tennessee Titans inactive playersS Jerrick Reed IIOL Brandon Crenshaw-DicksonOL Garrett DellingerOL Drew MossDL Cam HorsleyCB Marcus Harris (injury)New Orleans Saints inactive playersG Cesar Ruiz (injury)S Ugo AmadiCB Rejzohn WrightDT Bryan Bresee (injury)WR Mason Tipton (injury)TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden (injury)RB Alvin Kamara (injury)What channel is Saints vs. Titans on today?Saints vs. Titans time todayDate: Sunday, Dec. 28Start time: 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET

The Saints vs. Titans game starts at 12 p.m. CT from Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Saints vs. Titans predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Sunday, Dec. 28

Saints 22, Titans 14: “The New Orleans Saints are now considered one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning three consecutive games for the first time in three years. Brandon Staley’s defense has shut down opposing offenses and have kept scoring minimal, while Tyler Shough continues to inject life into this offense.

Heading into Tennessee, the Saints will have another opportunity to continue their win streak against the three-win Titans. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward has shown flashes of top-end ability at times but is suffering from a lack of talent offensively. Running back Tony Pollard has been their most consistent threat this year, and it’s by a large margin.

On the other side Tyler Shough looks like a six-year vet showing a level of comfort in Kellen Moore’s offense. He and Chris Olave have really started to get going as of late, propelling each others stock going forward. With that said, I don’t think the success stops in Nashville. I anticipate Brandon Staley and the defense putting on another clinic for a big win Sunday, while the offense gets it done by playing mistake free football and moving the chains on critical downs.” — Luke Loffredo

Saints 27, Titans 14: “New Orleans notches their fourth consecutive win for the first time since the 2020 season. They do so by battering Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward and forcing a few huge turnovers. The Saints get up on the Titans early, taking Tony Pollard and the Tennessee running game out of the equation. New Orleans may not match their season-best sack total from last week (8), but they’ll come close.” — Bob Rose

Spread: Saints by 2.5Over/under: 39.5Moneyline: New Orleans -150