Tyler Shough knew what was coming.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback had studied the tape, seen the pressure tendencies, identified the looks before the snap and still spent Sunday’s game dealing with the same problem over and over: Minnesota came after him in waves, and the Saints had few answers in a 23-13 loss that sent them to 1-4.
Shough’s stat line told the story from the pocket. He finished with 96 yards on 16 of 25 passing, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
He was sacked just once, but Pro Football Focus’ early charting had him facing a blitz on 16 of his 25 dropbacks. More often than not, he was forced into a quick checkdown, hurried into bad decisions or scrambling just to survive the next hit.
The Saints’ issues, though, went well beyond the quarterback. Minnesota converted 50% of its third downs, and quarterback Kyler Murray was sharp and efficient, throwing for 229 yards while completing 24 of 30 passes.
New Orleans also shot itself in the foot on special teams, with two second-half mistakes that wiped out chances to build momentum. Across all three phases, the Saints never found a rhythm.
After Kellen Moore pointed to preparation as the problem in last week’s blowout against Atlanta, this game was supposed to show whether New Orleans had gotten the message. The challenge was obvious: Moore and his staff had to build a plan for Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy defense, while Shough and the offense had to communicate cleanly enough to spot where the extra rushers were coming from.
Staying ahead of the sticks was the key. On the Saints’ first snap, they fell behind them immediately, as Minnesota brought five rushers and forced Shough into a dump-off to Alvin Kamara that went for a 5-yard loss.
For a stretch in the first half, the Saints leaned into the run game, which offered one of the few bright spots. A fumble forced by defensive tackle Khristian Boyd and recovered by Chase Young set New Orleans up at the 35-yard line, and the Saints used that field position to methodically move the ball. Over 15 plays, they ran it nine times and picked up 39 yards.
Moore also showed some aggression on fourth-and-1, and it paid off twice. New Orleans converted both tries on throws to Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele, then finished the drive with Kendre Miller’s 1-yard touchdown for a 7-3 lead.
But the good work didn’t last. Minnesota kept forcing the Saints into passing situations, and every time New Orleans had to drop back, the pressure was there. The run game never fully solved the bigger problem, and the offense as a whole couldn’t sustain enough success to keep Minnesota on its heels.
The Saints also kept finding trouble in the other two phases. On the opening kickoff of the second half, Jayden Price fumbled the return and handed the Vikings a short field.
New Orleans’ defense, again placed in a bad spot, couldn’t salvage the possession. Murray found Justin Jefferson for a 15-yard touchdown after Quincy Riley mistimed his jump in the back of the end zone, giving Minnesota a 13-7 lead.
It was the sixth time in nine drives that the Saints defense allowed a touchdown after a turnover.
Special teams nearly swung things the other way later when Jonas Sanker recovered a fumble and took it 88 yards for what looked like a huge touchdown. But Daniel Carlson missed the extra point, leaving New Orleans without the lead.
Murray kept causing problems for the Saints defense, especially on third-and-long, where his mobility let him escape and extend drives. Even outside those obvious passing downs, he hurt New Orleans with his legs and movement, slipping away from pressure and finding Jajuan Jennings for a 32-yard gain. That play sparked the go-ahead march, and Aaron Jones finished the six-play, 70-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 20-13 with 14:06 left.
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A look ahead now naturally points to a few college runners who could fit what New Orleans wants to be. Jadan Baugh, LJ Martin, Cam Cook and Jahiem White each bring a different style, and that mix is exactly what makes the backfield debate interesting for the Saints. None of it is immediate, of course, but the search for a more dependable rushing identity is already shaping how the teams future could be discussed. [Read more 🡒]