Da Boot Sports
12/28/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   It did not start well but it ended well. That applies to the New Orleans Saints in multiple ways.As a result, the 2025 season, regardless of what happens in Atlanta next week, is ending well and the organization is well on the way to turning the corner.

   No, New Orleans is not a good team or a contender yet but they are also not a bad team or bottom feeder.

   The team we knew at 2-10 is a distant memory. The Saints now have their first four-game win streak since 2020.

   For just the third time in franchise history, the Saints have swept the month of December after Sunday’s come from behind 34-26 win at Tennessee.

   For a while, it looked bad for the Saints against a bad team.

   The New Orleans secondary was confused and got embarrassed more than once with receivers running free.

   The Titans built a 13-0 lead and led 20-10 at halftime.

   The very shaky first half performance, outside of one big play by Chase Young, changed in the second half as Brandon Staley’s unite came alive, made adjustments and limited the Titans to just a pair of field goals in the second half.

   The Saints outscored the Titans 24-6 in the second half, including 14-0 in the decisive fourth quarter.

   While Young was outstanding throughout, it was the play of Tyler Shough that stole the day and once again, captured the imagination of every suffering Saints fan anywhere in the country.

   Shough continues to prove he is the real deal, the answer the Saints have been searching for since the departure of Drew Brees.

   He was simply superb and once again, he saved his best for when it mattered most, with the game on the line.

   Shough finished 22 of 27 (81.5%)for a career high 333 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers for an impressive passer rating of 142.7.

   In the second half, Shough was 12 of 16 for 251 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers for a 156.3 passer rating, just short of the perfect 158.3 passer rating.

   In his last three games, all wins, Shough is 78 of 108 for 913 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, completing 72.2 percent of his passes for a 109.8 passer rating. You cannot play much better than that.

   Here is more on the superlatives of Shough.


   Shough’s 142.7 passer rating from today’s win is the best in a game for any rookie passer this year.

   Additionally, Shough is just the third quarterback in franchixe history to throw for 300 or more yards while completing 80 percent of passes with no interceptions, Per Jeff Asher, the only others to do so were Drew Brees (10 times) and Jim Everett (once).

   While Louis Riddick correctly assessed the 26-year old as a great draft pick and future star before he set foot on the field, national media analysts have universally jumped on the bandwagon.

   While Shough was brilliant, Chris Olave was simply outstanding once again. Olave caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. In his last two games, Olave has averaged nine catches for 134 yards.

   With the eight catches, Olave reached the magical 100 reception mark for the season. He now has 1,163 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, finally establishing himself as a true No. 1 receiver and establishing himself as a top-end receiver in the league. All of those numbers are career highs for Olave.

   The Saints have a club option on Shough for next season and he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027. It now appears clear that New Orleans will have to re-sign him.

   Juwan Johnson finished with a single game career-best 95 yards receiving on four catches.

   Cam Jordan was credited with a sack and now has 9.5 on the season including seven in his last seven games. Jordan has discovered the fountain of youth. Perhaps we should take a look at the way he was used or misused by last year’s coaching staff. The guy can still play. His contract is up at season’s end and he wants to play more moving forward. Jordan has now sacked 52 different quarterbacks in his illustrious career.

   Demario Davis is still playing at a high level, adding six more tackles today and his contract is up as well.

   Charlie Smyth nailed field goals of 56 and 57-yards, showing off his strong leg, making up for missing a 43-yard effort earlier.


   Back to Shough.

   Cam Ward was the much celebrated, No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ward came in with three straight games with at least two touchdown passes.

   Shough was the afterthought, the 40th overall pick in the same draft. He was coming off his first 300-yard passing game.

   The two young signal callers have very promising futures.

   The value of the pick of Shough continues to escalate.

   While Ward is a nice player, would you take him over Shough? I think the Saints are in a good, enviable position.

   Good quarterbacks are hard to find.

   The best quarterbacks make those around them better.

   Shough is missing two starting guards (one traded).

   He is missing Devaughn Vele, Mason Tipton and the since traded Rashid Shaheed. He was missing top backup tight end Foster Moreau while third stringer Jack Stoll was hurt on the first offensive snap and did not return.

   He is missing the top three running backs in Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and Devin Neal.

   The Saints are at best a make-shift team offensively.

   Drew Brees lifted up his teammates, raising the level of their play as one of the best to ever play the position. Shough is elevating the play of those around him.


   Consider the contribution of Kevin Austin Jr., who caught four passes for 52 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Even rookie Moliki Matavao had his first two catches as a professional for 10 yards.

   Another huge positive was the play of running back Audric Estime, who ran hard throughout, rushing 14 times for 94 yards and a touchdown on a brilliant 32-yard run.

   Aside from secondary breakdowns, Kai Kroeger hit a miserable 17-yard punt, inexcusable in the NFL. He averaged just 32 yards on three punts with a long punt of just 41 yards. As mentioned, Smyth missed a field goal.

   A week after a breakout game, Taysom Hill was no factor at all and the Saints were better served not using him in short yardage situations. Hill rushed three times for no yards.

   The Saints have been terrible in the first quarter all season and were terrible again. New Orleans has been outscored 115-29 in the first quarter this year, an area which Kellen Moore must address in the offseason. Your first 10-15 plays are supposed to be your best stuff in the game plan for a specific opponent. That has clearly not been the case.

   New Orleans had just 44 yards in the quarter, including 38 on the one completion to Austin. Tennessee had 79 yards.

   What we have seen is good coaching as the Saints are simply a much better second half team, a team that makes effective adjustments.

   The Saints (6-10) close out the season at Atlanta next Sunday.

   Before the season began, I picked the Saints to win six games. At 2-10, I looked awfully ignorant.

   Now, I may end up hitting the bulls-eye or even selling this team short.


   Suddenly, the long game for this franchise looks like it will take a shorter amount of time to return to being a winner than we ever could have imagined.

   Merry Christmas, Saints fans as we look forward to what may well turn out to be a happy New Year for this franchise in 2026 if it can have another good offseason as it did in 2025.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/21/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   In a sign of the times, the New Orleans Saints chose to introduce their offense in pre-game ceremonies.Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s spot was reserved for the final introduction and drew the loudest applause, normally afforded to the injured Alvin Kamara.

   There is no doubt Shough is the leader of this offense and the beacon of hope for the future of this franchise.

   Wearing gold jerseys and pants, the Saints the Saints were golden on the field and the scoreboard.

   For the first time in his young career, Shough went over 300 yards passing. It would have been an even better day if not for a touchdown pass negated by penalty and two dropped throws.

   Regardless, Shough has proven himself in clear fashion. The quarterback of the present and future for head coach Kellen Moore has been established. Shough, who took a beating throughout the game, snared a fourth win as a starter, the most by any rookie quarterback in the league.

   Not to be forgotten, Brandon Staley has proven to be worth his weight in gold, doing an excellent job coordinating a defense which has simply gotten better as the season has progressed.

   Charlie Smyth has stabilized a very shaky kicking game.

   New Orleans overcame an early turnover and won that battle, forcing two and racking up a season-high six sacks.

    Here are my Quick Takes from the 29-6 win for the Saints over the hapless New York Jets:

   

**Inactives for the Saints were Ugo Amadi, Khristian Boyd, Alvin Kamara, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Asim Richards, Cesar Ruiz and Rejzohn Wright.
**Will Sherman got the start at right guard in place of Ruiz.
**The Jets won the toss and deferred, giving New Orleans the ball first.
**Taysom Hill got the first carry of the game, gained eight yards, fumbled and Quan’Tez Stiggers recovered at the New Orleans 37-yard-line. It was forced by Malachi Moore.
**The Jets reached the New Orleans 13-yard-line before Demario Davis had a tackle for loss and Jonathan Bullard batted down a pass by Brady Cook.
**That forced a 29-yard field goal by Nick Folk and the Jets took a 3-0 lead with 10:38 to play in the first quarter.
**The Saints mounted a drive which reached the New York 17-yard-line but stalled. Charlie Smyth tied the game at 3-3 with a 35-yard field goal with 6:31 to play in the opening quarter. The drive covered 43 yards in 12 plays.
**Shough hit Chris Olave for 20 yards to start the next New Orleans drive. The rookie then hit Hill for 17 yards to the 25-yard-line.
**The Saints had 96 yards to 55 for the Jets through one quarter.
**Shough was sacked on the first play of the second quarter on a blitz by the Jets with Jamien Sherwood getting the sack.
**Smyth drilled a 49-yard field goal to give New Orleans a 6-3 lead with 14:18 to play in the first half. The drive covered 35 yards in eight plays.
**Alontae Taylor committed an unnecessary personal foul penalty to give the Jets the ball in New Orleans territory on the next New York possession.
**Justin Reid batted down a Cook pass to help get a stop, forcing a 36-yard field goal by Folk to tie the game 6-6 with 12:38 to play in the first half. The drive covered 47 yards in six plays.
**The Saints went for it on fourth-and-one from their own 45-yard-line. They ran Hill under center to run a quarterback sneak and he was stoned for no gain, giving New York the ball at that spot.
**The New Orleans defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out and a punt.
**The Saints used a lot of no-huddle looks in the first half.
**Hill then ran two yards on a fake punt, taking the snap in the up-back position, to maintain a possession for New Orleans.
**Olave got his hands on a good throw by Shough in the end zone but had it knocked away at the last instant. That forced a 36-yard field goal by Smyth to give the Saints a 9-6 lead with 1:31 to play in the first half. The drive covered 73 yards in 15 plays.
**Cam Jordan got his 129th career sack late in the half to surpass Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson on the all-time sack list, now 17th all-time. It was the 51st quarterback Jordan has sacked in his illustrious career.
**It also marked the ninth season which Jordan has recorded at least eight sacks. The Jets are the 29th NFL team Jordan has a sack against. Only the Ravens and Chiefs have avoided the wrath of Jordan in his career.
**Shough hit Juwan Johnson with a 31-yard completion to the New Orleans 46-yard-line with 27 seconds left. Shough then hit Johnson for 10 yards to the New York 43-yard-line.
**Smyth came on and missed a 61-yard field goal attempt which was well wide left on the final play of the half.
**The Saints dominated the half with 231 yards to only 96 for New York but led just 9-6 at the break. Shough was 21 of 32 for 206 yards in the half.
**Isaiah Stalbird sacked Cook on the first series of the third quarter to force a punt.
**Foster Moreau caught a pass and injured his ankle.
**Shough was sacked on the ensuing possession to force a New Orleans punt.
**Alontae Taylor sacked Cook on a corner blitz to help get a stop on the next Jets possession.
**Davis recorded his 1,600th career tackle in the third quarter. He is one of just three active players with 1,600 tackles.
**Bryan Bresee went down injured on the next play.
**The Saints expanded the lead to 16-6 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Shough to Olave with 41 seconds left in the third quarter. Olave broke wide open on the play. The drive covered 93 yards in 12 plays.
**Nathan Shepherd came up with a sack and forced a fumble which Chase Young recovered and that set up a 50-yard field goal by Smyth to make it 19-9 with 11:09 to play in the game.
**Jonas Sanker came up with an interception of Cook.
**Shough hit Hill for an 18-yard touchdown but Torriccelli Simpkins was flagged for holding and cost the Saints a score.


**Smyth came on and kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 22-6 with 5:17 to play in the game.
**Chris Rumph came up with the sixth sack for the Saints, a season high.
**Young came up with a sack of Cook, his seventh of the season, to stop the Jets.
**Hill finished off a huge day, lining up at quarterback and he threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Olave with 1:54 to play to make it 29-6.
**Jonah Williams came up with the eighth sack for New Orleans in the final minute.

   Shough finished 32 of 49 for 308 yards and a touchdown. Johnson had eight catches for 89 yards.

   The ageless wonders, Jordan and Davis were terrific.

   Jordan had four tackles, including three for loss and two sacks with two quarterback hits. Davis had eight tackles, including one for loss and batted down a pass.

   The 29 points are a season high for the Saints. New Orleans has scored 20 or more points in three straight games, all victories. Previously, New Orleans had scored 20 or more points just twice in 12 games.

   With a number of key players injured or having been traded or released, Olave and Johnson are the two remaining playmakers.

   Olave had 10 catches for 148 yards and two scores. to put him over 1,000 yards for the season for the third time in his career. Olave joins rare company as just the fifth receiver in franchise history with at least three 1,0000 yards receiving in a single season. The 10 catches match a season high for Olave.


   Marques Colston had 1,000 yards five times, Michael Thomas did it four times while Eric Martin and Joe Horn each did it three times. Colston, Martin and Horn are already in the Saints Hall of Fame.

   Olave also went over 90 catches on the season, becoming just the ninth player in franchise history to record 90 receptions in a season.

   Hill had 17 touches, a career-high for him, and accounted for 116 total yards. He rushed 12 times for 42 yards, completed the touchdown pass for 38 yards and had four catches for 36 yards.

   The brilliant career of Hill now has him over 1,000 yards (1,002) receiving, well over 1,000 yards passing (2,424) and well over 1,000 yards rushing (2,551).

   Today was the best the 25-year old has looked physically in his comeback from a serious knee injury and surgery. Yes, it was the Jets, a lousy team playing an undrafted rookie quarterback. We are keeping things in perspective.

   Still, this is an improving team that has bought into Moore’s leadership and result.

   The confidence is there in a young quarterback along with the young head coach who has groomed him.

   I picked the Saints to win six games before the season began. For a while, that looked like a terrible take on the high side. Now, it looks good and hopefully a tad low.

  New Orleans (5-10) head to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans next Sunday. Despite missing key players, there is a reasonable to good chance that the win streak will continue.

   Fortunes are finally looking up for the black and gold. It was great to see fans celebrating in Caesars Superdome late in the game. Fun is returning to Saints football. “Who Dat” is starting to resonate, at least to a degree, once again.

   I think I will buy something gold for my wife for Christmas. Call it Who Dat inspiration.

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/14/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
​By: Ken Trahan


   We continue to learn more about Tyler Shough and what we are learning is all good.
   The New Orleans Saints rookie starting quarterback is poised, tough, and accurate. He can also extend plays.


Now, Shough has his first game-winning rally as an NFL quarterback.

   With the game on the line, Shough came through not once but twice with point-producing drives in the fourth quarter. Combine that with a defense playing winning football and you have your first win streak, even if it is just two games.

   Loyal fans of the New Orleans Saints have been waiting, starving for something positive to get excited about in the midst of a poor season. Who Dat Nation got that today.

   It came on Saints Hall of Fame Alumni weekend, with as many as 60 former New Orleans players on hand.

   With new inductees Brett Maxie and Tracy Porter honored on the field in a pre-game ceremony, serving as honorary captains and leading the “Who Dat” chant, the current Saints did the former star defensive backs who were part of many winning teams, playoff teams and a Super Bowl championship team.

   The Saints may not be in the playoff chase but they have now beaten NFC South leaders Tampa Bay and Carolina in consecutive weeks and completed a sweep of the Panthers on the season

     Here are my Quick Takes from the New Orleans Saints beating the Carolina Panthers 20-17:
**Inactives for the Saints were Khristian Boyd, Alvin Kamara, Zaire Mitchell-Padon, Justin Reid, Asim Richards, John Ridgeway and Rejzohn Wright
**Carolina won the toss and deferred, giving the Saints the ball first.
**The Saints proceeded to go three-and-out.


**The Panthers took the ball and ran it down the throat of the Saints, driving 74 yards in 13 plays, taking 7:18 off the clock with Rico Dowdle scoring on a 4-yard run to make it 7-0 with 6:39 to play in the opening quarter. The Panthers rushed nine times for 48 yards on the drive.
**New Orleans made a pair of first downs on its next possession and lined up to go for it on fourth-and-four at the Carolina 44-yard-line but Luke Fortner committed a false start, forcing a punt.
**The Panthers had 101 yards to just 26 for the Saints in the first quarter. Carolina had the ball for 10:03 to just 4:57 for New Orleans. The Saints made just one first down in the quarter.
**Sam Martin punted the Saints deep to the New Orleans 5-yard-line to start the second quarter.
**Fortner then committed yet another false start to bury the Saints.
**Tyler Shough hit Devaughn Vele for 15 yards and a first down and on the play, Shough was roughed, giving the Saints the ball at their own 45-yard-line.
**An illegal hands to the face penalty on Bobby Brown gave New Orleans another first down.
**Juwan Johnson then committed a holding penalty, followed by yet another false start penalty, this one by Taliese Fuaga.
**Devin Neal had a nice 15-yard run for a first down to the Carolina 15-yard-line.
**Neal then scored on a 6-yard run on a toss sweep to tie the game 7-7 on a well blocked play with 3:32 to play in the first half. It was a long drive, both in yards and in time elapsed. The drive covered 95 yards in 17 plays, taking 11:22 off the clock.
**Unfortunately, Neal went down with a hamstring injury and missed the rest of the game.
**The drive was the longest of the season in all three categories for the Saints.
**Carolina took a 10-7 lead on a 40-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald with 21 seconds left in the half. Quincy Riley broke up a pass in the end zone with a nice play on a pass attempt from Bryce Young to Tetairoa McMillan.
**The drive covered 51 yards in nine plays, taking 3:11 off the clock.
**The Saints had five penalties for 40 yards in the half.
**Carolina came out and Young hit Xavier Legette for 33 yards to the New Orleans 33-yard-line. Legette was wide open on the play.
**The Panthers finished the drive as Young hit Jalen Coker with a 32-yard touchdown pass on a perfectly thrown ball to extend the lead to 17-7 for Carolina. Riley had coverage and it was good but he lost touch as the last instant with Coker and the throw was right on the money.
**The drive covered 70 yards in eight plays, taking 5:06 off the clock.
**Derrick Brown took a cheap shot at Shough as he was sliding on a run and drew a personal foul. Shough got up and was okay.
**Kelvin Banks drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
**Shough was sacked on consecutive plays to kill a good drive.
**Charlie Smyth came on and kicked a 42-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-10 with 1:56 to play in the third quarter. The drive covered 48 yards in 14 plays, taking 7:58 off the clock.
**Each team got a big stop on a fourth-and-one play in the fourth quarter.
**The Saints actually got a field goal from Smyth to cut the deficit to 17-13 but took the points off the board after the Panthers were offside.
**On fourth-and-one, Shough was stopped short of the line to gain. It did not matter. The Saints were flagged for holding, anyway.
**Cesar Ruiz left the game injured, replaced by Torricelli Simpkins.
**After getting a stop with less than five minutes to play, the Saints went fast and Shough completed five straight passes, three to Olave. The fifth cost them again as Banks was penalized yet again for being ineligibly downfield, negating a completion to Mason Tipton to the 3-yard-line.
**Despite the penalty, Shough overcame it with a perfect 12-yard touchdown pass to Olave, who go inside leverage on Jaycee Horn, to tie the game at 17-17 with 2:29 to play in the game. The drive covered 78 yards in seven plays, taking 2:08 off the clock.
**Olave caught four passes for 63 yards on the drive.
**The Saints did it by going fast and by using motion effectively.
**The Saints had a chance for a stop on third-and-10 but allowed Young to run for a first down for 12 yards at the two-minute warning.
**Chase Young then got a big sack of Bryce Young for nine yards. Chase Young then stopped Bryce Young again, short of a first down on a scramble to force a punt.
**Howden committed a holding penalty on the ensuing punt, pushing the Saints back to their 9-yard-line with 57 seconds left.
**Shough then hit Audric Estime for 20 yards on a screen pass and hit Estime for nine yards to the 38-yard-line.
**Kellen Moore then called a quarterback draw with Shough which picked up eight yards and Lathan Ransom speared Shough with another personal foul, giving the Saints the ball at the Carolina 32-yard-line. Shough had to leave the game with six seconds. Left.
**Spencer Rattler came in, threw the ball out of bounds with six seconds left.
**Smyth then calmly drilled his game-winner.


   No, the Saints are nowhere near being a winning team or contender but we are seeing improvement.

   Most of all, what we have seen is clear.

   The Saints are a resilient team.

   With no Kamara, losing Neal and Ruiz, already down Kendre Miller, Erik McCoy and Julian Blackmon and way out of the playoff picture, the Saints continue to play hard for Moore and continue to improve.

   Yes, there are too many pre-snap penalties and holding penalties.

   The Saints have their quarterback, finally. With more talent around him, Shough, who is already solid, has a chance to be a good NFL starter, if not very good. Shough finished 24 of 32 for 272 yards and a touchdown. He rushed eight times for 32 yards.

   Olave had six catches for 85 yards and the score. Vele had five catches for 69 yards.

   Smyth earned his spot, coming through in the clutch.

   Vele continues to show he was worth the trade with Denver.

   Olave came up big when he was needed.

   The defense got two big stops when needed and Chase Young was outstanding with six tackles, including two for loss with a sack.

   While there is a long way to go, there is finally a ray of hope for the future of the New Orleans Saints. That is not an overreaction.

​

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/7/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


      It was a rainy day in Tampa Bay, and the conditions deteriorated as the game progressed.Both teams started well offensively, scoring a touchdown on their first possessions.
   
   Then the rain came, and the scoring stopped, at least for a while.

   The Buccaneers were without first-team All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs. Benjamin Chukwuma replaced him. Tampa Bay was also without Mike Evans on the outside.

   Of course, the Saints were without key players as well but had enough make plays which resulted in a winning effort.

   It was a pleasure to watch. A rainy day became a bright light in an otherwise dark season.

       Here are my Quick Takes from the 24-20 win by New Orleans at Tampa Bay:
**Inactives for the Saints were Khristian Boyd, Taliese Fuaga, Alvin Kamara, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Justin Reid, John Ridgeway and Rejzohn Wright.
**Mason Tipton returned the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Tampa Bay 45-yard-line.
**On the first play from scrimmage, Tyler Shough went deep for Chris Olave and hit his outstretched hands, just a tick long, if at all. Olave appeared to have his jersey tugged, which kept Olave from catching it but there was no flag.
**Undaunted, Shough hit DeVaughn Vele for 16 yards to the 29-yard-line on the next play.
**Shough then connected with Juwan Johnson for 12 yards and a first down to the 14-yard-line.

**Shough then ran an RPO for 11 yards and a first-and-goal at the 3-yard-line.
**Devin Neal then scored on a 3-yard run to give the Saints a 7-0 lead with 12:24 to play in the first quarter. The drive covered 45 yards in six plays.
**It was just the second touchdown of the season in the first quarter for New Orleans.
**Chase Young committed a neutral zone infraction to give Tampa Bay a first down.
**The euphoria of a quick start faded quickly as Tampa Bay drove 67 yards in seven plays with Baker Mayfield hitting Bucky Irving with a 24-yard touchdown pass on a screen pass. Irving scored easily as the Saints were completely out of place on the play.
**It was the 20th straight home game with a touchdown pass for Mayfield.
**Shough was sacked by Vita Vea, who beat Luke Fortner for a seven-yard loss.
**Jonas Sanker came up with an interception on a tipped ball but Quincy Riley was flagged for pass interference on a pass to Sterling Shepard. It was the right call and it was costly.
**Carl Granderson came up with a huge play as Tampa went for it on fourth-and-one at the New Orleans 45-yard-line, tackling Irving for a 7-yard loss.
**Shough hit Foster Moreau for 16 yards to the Tampa Bay 35-yard-line.
**The Saints had 57 yards while the Bucs had 95 in the first quarter.
**Greg Gaines sacked Shough to stop a drive.
**That led to a Charlie Smyth 48-yard field goal attempt and he missed it wide left.
**Shephard committed a personal foul, 15-yard penalty for tripping to hurt the Saints on the next Tampa Bay possession.
**Granderson then hit Irving for a 5-yard loss.
**Shough then threw an interception to Zyon McCollum, who returned it to the New Orleans 40-yard-line. It was total miscommunication. Chris Olave was running a go-pattern, broke it off but Shough anticipated him continuing down the field. No one was there but McCollum.
**That led to a 41-yard field goal by Chase Mclaughlin to give the Buccaneers a 10-7 lead with 9:11 to play in the first half.
**Asim Richards committed a false start penalty then he gave up a sack to Chris Braswell to force a New Orleans punt.
**Demario Davis then got a fourth-and-one stop at the New Orleans 49-yard-line with 2:36 to play in the half.
**Dillon Radunz committed a false start.
**Then Olave committed an illegal shift penalty to negate a completion to him from Shough.
**On fourth-and-one from the Tampa Bay 41-yard-line, Devin Neal was hit for a four-yard loss.
**Granderson batted down a pass and read a screen pass perfectly, forcing Mayfield to throw the ball in the ground.
**Pete Werner deflected a Mayfield pass as well and the Saints got a stop on the final possession of the half.
**The Saints finished the half with just 74 yards to 153 for Tampa Bay.
**Left guard Bredeson went down with a knee injury, leaving the Buccaneers with two backups on the left side of their offensive line.
**On the opening possession of the second half, Alontae Taylor then picked off Mayfield on a ball thrown right to him, and he returned it to the Tampa Bay 47-yard-line. It appeared Cameron Johnson stopped on the route.
**The Saints would take total advantage of the turnover.
**Shough then ran an RPO, faked to Audric Estime, kept it, got a block by Vele on the edge and he raced 34 yards for a score to give the Saints a 14-10 lead with 11:27 to play in the third quarter.
**Jonas Sanker then committed a bad pass interference penalty on Johnson on a deep ball from Mayfield, a 29-yard penalty to the New Orleans 37-yard-line.
**That led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Sean Tucker as Tampa Bay regained the lead 17-14 with 7:37 to play in the third quarter. The drive covered 65 yards in seven plays, including six rushes for 34 yards.
**Neal broke a 20-yard run around the ride end and Richards was able to seal his man to clear the path.
**The Saints had a fourth-and-inches at the Tampa Bay 8-yard-line. Kellen Moore opted to go for it. Inexplicably, Shough lined up in shotgun. Inexplicably, he rolled right. He threw back across his body to Olave for the first down, a good throw, but Cesar Ruiz was six yards downfield and was flagged for being an ineligible receiver.
**Smyth came in and connected on a 30-yard field goal to cap an 11 play, 53-yard drive to tie the game 17-17 with 1:32 to play in the third quarter.
**Cam Jordan then knocked down a screen pass attempt and almost picked it off.
**The Bucs had 238 yards to 178 for the Saints after three quarters.
**It stopped raining, at least briefly, to start the fourth quarter.
**The Saints got another key stop on a fourth-and-two at the New Orleans 46-yard-line with 12:48 to play in the game.
**William Sherman replaced Richards at right tackle after Richards exited with a left ankle injury.
**Shough then evaded two tacklers to avoid a sack and raced 13 yards for a touchdown to put the Saints on top 24-17 with 8:26 to play in the game.
**It marked only the second time this season the Saints have scored three touchdowns in a game.
**The drive covered 53 yards in nine plays.
**Smyth then gave Tampa Bay the ball at the 40-yard-line with an awful kickoff well short of the landing zone.
**Irving then broke a 32-yard run as Chase Young went way up the field and there was a cavernous hole around left end, getting Tampa Bay to the 28-yard-line.
**Michael Davis committed what could have easily been a pass interference call but it was not called and McLaughin nailed a 37-yard field goal with 4:54 to play in the game. The drive covered 41 yards in nine plays.
**The Saints hurt themselves again on the ensuing kickoff as Danny Stutsman was flagged for holding, pinning the Saints back to their 18-yard-line with 4:48 to play in the game.
**Taysom Hill had a second drop on the next series to go along with his fumble.
**Shough came through with 11 and 14-yard completions to Vele for first downs.
**Inexplicably, Moore called a pass play on third-and-11 and it was incomplete for Neal. It was almost picked off and it stopped the clock with 1:54 to play in the game. That cost the Saints 30 or more seconds. It was a terrible decision.
**Sanker then dropped an interception that would have put the game away.
**The Saints got the stop it needed to clinch the win.

   Shough finished 13 of 20 for 144 yards with an interception which was not his fault. He rushed seven times for 54 yards and two scores.

   Neal rushed 19 times for 70 yards and a score. He caught a pass for 14 yards. The Saints rushed for 139 yards.

   New Orleans was gashed for 179 yards rushing by the Buccaneers but the Saints got the big stops they needed as Tampa Bay was just 2-for-7 on fourth down.

   The Saints entered the game averaging 7.3 points per game allowed in second half, best in the NFL. They allowed 10 points today but outscored Tampa Bay in the second half, when they are always better.

   This team is playing hard. They overcame too many penalties, 10 for 82 yards and a couple of shaky coaching decisions.

   Today, the hard work paid off. The Saints won their third game. Young players showed promise.

   Shough is looking more and more like the guy to keep and build around.

   Enjoy the win as we head into Saints Hall of Fame week!