Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season just brought even more pain for New Orleans Saints fans, as in the team’s first divisional matchup of the year, they were nearly held scoreless, losing 23-3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite a rather impressive defensive showing from the Saints, the offense was so unfathomably disjointed that they were completely unable to move the ball for the vast majority of their reps.
Halfway through the game, New Orleans finally made the quarterback switch many had been anticipating, but all-in-all, it really did not change much in the course of the game. There were a few signs of improvement compared to previous weeks overall, though, so here are some of the studs and duds from their Week 8 loss.
Stud: Chase Young
Following two weeks in which he was struggling to really finish off plays and get things done besides some pressure and near-big plays, Chase Young showed why the Saints extended him in Week 8. Aside from near constant pressure being applied from his side of the line, he put together 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles, a pass deflection, and 2 QB hits. In a game where the defense was playing better than usual, Young stood out as a key contributor for much of the matchup.
Dud: The quarterback room
Neither quarterback looked particularly impressive, with Spencer Rattler finally doing enough to be benched, and then Tyler Shough trying to come into an already momentumless game, where he also looked less than impressive. As a unit, they went 32/51 for 221 passing yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, a fumble, five sacks, and a sub-20 QBR. The offensive line certainly did not do them any favors, which will be discussed later, but overall just a brutal showing from two players who needed any form of positive momentum.
Stud: Kool-Aid McKinstry
Following a string of sub-optimal performances, Kool-Aid McKinstry really picked up the pace in Week 8, and it felt like he was one of the core reasons for the Buccaneers’ offense being held back quite a bit. With only 152 total receiving yards on the day, Tampa Bay was certainly held in check by a typically very leaky Saints’ secondary, and McKinstry was tasked with many of the core responsibilities alongside Alontae Taylor, who also looked very solid.
Dud: Offensive line
Overall, the offensive line just could not figure it out in Week 8, and the missing Erik McCoy was certainly noticed with how the line folded rather often. Allowing five sacks, but also just completely and totally held off the stat sheet in the run game, were both directly tied back to a relatively brutal performance from the offensive line. While they did have a few promising reps, they were just being eaten alive by Anthony Nelson.
Stud: Special teams unit
The one non-secondary unit where the Saints did look to be getting some good production was on special teams, which is surprising given how poor they had been to this point. Blake Grupe made his one 48-yard attempt on the day, Kai Kroeger put two of his three punts down inside the 20-yard line, and the return game was averaging 23.7 yards on each return, with a longest of 36 yards. Overall, they just put together a solid day, which is all that can be asked for in a game where the offense was relying on them often.