Saints Film Study: Three of Tyler Shough’s best throws

By Ross Jackson

During their Week 10 win against the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints saw rookie quarterback Tyler Shough impress in his second start. Shough secured the first rookie starting quarterback win in a Saints uniform in 44 years and did so by extending plays, navigating pressure and delivering the ball to his playmakers.

For this week’s film study, three throws of varying style and situation stand out as some of Shough’s best. His connections with tight end Juwan Johnson and wide receiver Chris Olave were fundamental to the team’s second win of the season and showed a variety of arm talent and skills the Saints can look forward to developing further after the bye week.

Third-and-12: Shough 52-yard completion to Johnson

This play begins with Shough doing a great job protecting the football. As the edge pressure gets to him, he steps up and then out with two hands on the football. The rusher gets a hold of Shough’s arm as he swings through, but the quarterback doesn’t let the ball escape while he keeps the play alive.

As Shough then finds the backside path to climb around the remaining defenders, he keeps his eyes up and both hands on the football. His athleticism is on full display here as he works to get his team out of yet another third-and-backed-up situation.

As he and his eyes stay alive, so does the play. He steps up and through the ensuing pressure and sees his target opened up downfield. The first moment he takes one hand off of the football is to go into his throwing motion on the move.

Johnson works his way into the open field with a whole lot of green grass around him. This is the advantage of being able to extend plays and make good decisions with the football. These so-called “second-action plays” have a good chance to create some wide open opportunities beyond the designed play concepts. Shough finds Johnson downfield as he moves up the pocket and delivers, giving the tight end the chance to do the rest after the catch.

through the pressure to Juwan for 52 yards ➡️

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/FUILT1jqVS

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 9, 2025

Third-and-12: Shough 30-yard completion to Johnson for a touchdown.

The quarterback-tight end duo weren’t done for the day, however. In the fourth quarter, the two would reconnect for a touchdown to extend the team’s 10-7 lead to the 17-7 score that would become the final. This time, instead of a second-action play, Shough extends just enough to find the crossing tight end as his defender, Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn, falls.

Shough actually passes on two open routes underneath in favor of waiting for the deeper connection to develop. Running back Devin Neal is a checkdown option while the crossing wide receiver Devaughn Vele could have been an option in the middle of the field as he throttles down between the hashes. However, Shough elects to wait it out, stepping out of the pocket to avoid the interior pressure from Panthers defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton.

As Shough moves laterally to his non-dominant side, he takes a very important step to reset his feet before delivering the pass. Right before he makes the decision to release, Horn bites the dust in coverage, leaving Johnson wide open at the sideline. Then, it’s a pitch-catch-and-run scenario for the two who go back together to their 2019 Oregon playing days.

JUWAN TO THE HOUSE! 🏠

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/0KUM7Pjfxl

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 9, 2025

Third-and-four: Shough 18-yard completion to Olave

Yes, the pair’s 67-yard touchdown was one of the key highlights of the game, but this throw was one of my favorites of Shough’s. The touchdown connection was a good example of giving his receiver a chance to make a play, which Olave did all the way to the endzone. But this throw showed another part of Shough’s artillery: touch.

This play takes place entirely in structure. Olave is running a dig from the field side down to the bottom of the frame. Meanwhile, wideout Devaughn Vele is running a vertical clearout while Johnson is working the short area. The clearout works to perfection, carrying the perimeter cornerback deep, Johnson’s route pulls another coverage defender down, opening up the area outside of the numbers for Olave and Shough to attack.

Shough steps up and delivers a floater to get over the underneath defenders while giving Olave a spot to run toward. Olave closes in, gets under the pass and high-points it to secure a big first down late before halftime as the team was trying to extend its lead. It was a direct contrast to the absolute rocket that he fired to Vele in the middle of the field later in the game.

Showing a variety of ball speeds and velocity on his throws, Shough is proving that his arm can adjust to multiple situations in order to put his receivers in the best possible position to make a play. Developing a bit more consistency in delivering these kinds of passes will keep Shough in the conversation for 2026 starting quarterback in New Orleans throughout the rest of the season.