A 17-7 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday improved the New Orleans Saints to 2-8 this season. That snapped a four-game losing streak and five-game road losing streak dating back to last season. It was also the first career victory for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and the first time a rookie quarterback has won a game for the Saints since Dave Wilson did it in 1981, a span of 44 years and 677 games.

Despite the relatively close score, the Saints controlled this game handily. They had a balanced offensive attack that put up 388 total yards and had a 52.6% conversion rate on third and fourth downs. On defense, New Orleans held the Panthers to only 175 total yards and forced two turnovers. Chris Olave (104 receiving yards), Juwan Johnson (92 receiving yards), and Alvin Kamara all had strong days.

However, all three just missed the cut for our top performers of Sunday’s victory.

QB Tyler Shough

Shough was outstanding in his second start, completing 19 of 27 throws for 282 yards and two long touchdown passes to Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson. He peppered Carolina’s secondary at all three levels and had excellent ball placement all afternoon, putting throws in spots where only his players could make a play. Perhaps most impressive was Shough’s ability to move up in the pocket or slide away from pressure on several occasions while still maintaining terrific mechanics to make accurate throws down the field.

Shough was the first rookie quarterback to win a start for the Saints in 677 games and over 44 years. His 284 passing yards also set a franchise single-game record for a rookie quarterback, surpassing 244 yards by Dave Wilson in 1981. It’s way too early to judge if Shough is finally the answer at quarterback for this team. However, the 40th overall pick in the draft this spring has shown tremendous promise and exciting development in his first two starts behind center.

Saints Defense

Albeit against a Carolina offense that is extremely limited, the Saints kept the Panthers completely bottled up all afternoon. Carolina came into this game ranked fifth in rushing production. New Orleans held them to 73 yards on the ground and just 3.2 per carry, their second lowest output of this season. They held the Panthers to only 175 total yards and 3.5 per play, with 67 of those yards coming on the Panthers opening drive of the game.

Nathan Shepherd and Cameron Jordan each recorded sacks, with Alontae Taylor and Isaiah Stalbird both forcing Bryce Young into some hurried throws on well-timed blitzes. Taylor had a key interception of Young to set up a New Orleans touchdown. Demario Davis had another interception, but it was nullified by a questionable roughing the passer penalty. Davis, Shepherd, Pete Werner, and Danny Stutsman were among the push up front that stymied the Carolina running game. Corners Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley, along with Taylor, kept Young from getting any good looks at his outside receivers and held Panthers wideouts to a combined 8 catches for 81 yards.

New Orleans now rides the momentum of a good offensive and defensive performance into their bye week. The Saints are the only NFC South team to come away with a victory in Week 10. It’s still a long way before this team can claim that they turned a corner, but turning in such a solid performance against a division rival that had a winning record gives the Saints a good feel heading into their bye.