Kellen Moore officially opens the door for massive change that can affect the rest of this Saints season and years to come
Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough was thrust into action in Week 8 of the NFL season for the New Orleans Saints. While his production wasn't overly impressive, it was a sign of the times and an admission by the coaching staff that changes are necessary for the Saints going forward, both for this season and beyond. What is next for New Orleans at the QB position?
Tyler Shough comes in for Spencer Rattler amid blowout loss to Buccaneers
The Saints turned to the rookie QB in the second half as the offense floundered over and over due to a multitude of mistakes and overall lack of effectiveness. Head coach Kellen Moore was "looking for a spark" when he took out Rattler in favor of Shough, but nothing came from it on the scoreboard for Moore's squad.
New Orleans' interior offensive line issues and lack of upside at pass catcher reared their ugly head for both quarterbacks against Tampa Bay. A banged-up Bucs defense kept the Saints out of the end zone, regardless of which quarterback was playing between Rattler and Shough.
Rattler's turnover issues were a problem once again in Week 8 after he turned it over four times against the Chicago Bears in Week 7. Shough did have one interception against Tampa Bay, but that was not his fault as much as it was Chris Olave's who got the ball stolen from him by Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. on the play. Either way, neither player dazzled - only further clouding the decision going forward for Moore and his staff.
Kellen Moore won't commit to either quarterback yet for next week
After the game, the young HC wasn't quick to crown either QB as his starter for next week. The Saints travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams, a vaunted defensive group - particularly in the trenches.
"We'll navigate this thing over the next 48 hours." -- Moore on QB decision
He also noted that he is not looking to flip back and forth between Shough and Rattler. That throws off the rhythm for every player involved in the unit's success, and players need consistent reps in practice with others in order to succeed. The amount of first team work that Shough gets this week is absolutely worth monitoring, though.
As for the long-term outlook of this situation, New Orleans may not have their QB of the future on the current roster. Right now, they sit atop the 2026 NFL Draft order with a record of 1-7. If that sort of scenario comes to fruition, it feels rather likely that Moore and co. will use that premium pick to secure their hopeful long-term answer at QB.
Regardless, this first move to Shough due to Rattler's struggles and the overall offense's performance opens the door to a look ahead to what's next for the Saints. We will see if Shough becomes the starter for the rest of the season to get a true look at his potential, albeit with a somewhat weak surrounding cast around him.
Texans’ DeMeco Ryans Calls Win vs. 49ers One of C.J. Stroud’s Best
The Houston Texans, throughout what would be their third win of the 2025 NFL season, ended up taking notable control of the game from start to finish on the offensive side of the ball.
C.J. Stroud was the leader of those efforts on Houston's scoring unit, and in all, rattled off one of his most productive games of the season.
On 39 total throws, Stroud completed 76% of his passes for a total of 318 yards through the air, to pair with two touchdowns and just one pick. He got nine pass-catchers involved on the day without Nico Collins or Christian Kirk in the mix, and came out to a nice 106.6 passer rating.
He's a considerable reason as to why the Texans had the success that they did against a formidable 49ers squad–– and after the game, his head coach DeMeco Ryans made sure to give him his due credit, saying his performance vs. San Francisco was one of the best in his entire career.
“One of his best games ever,” Ryans said of C.J. Stroud. “When C.J. is locked in, when the quarterback is playing well and C.J. plays well and he’s upbeat and everybody can see he’s going to the right spot with the football, he’s making great decisions, stepping up, escaping the pocket, converting some runs there, converting some third downs, you just see the entire energy, the vibe of our entire sideline just changes. Everybody is looking for the quarterback for that leadership."
DeMeco Ryans Credits C.J. Stroud's Leadership, O-Line in Win vs. 49ers
More than just his production on the field, Stroud maintained his status as a high-end leader on the sidelines for Houston as well, stoking the fire to help the Texans' energy stay high for the entire way, and it certainly showed in the end results.
Stroud also had some major help from his offensive line, a group that allowed zero sacks on the day for the first time this season, and only the fifth time of his career–– the last time being seen during his rookie campaign.
Of course, Ryans made sure to extend his praise to what he saw upfront as well, which led to a smooth and sound offensive operation throughout the way in Houston.
"It’s just about nothing special or nothing grand. It’s just about him remaining disciplined as a quarterback, doing exactly what he’s supposed to do on every given play. When he does that, he makes great decisions and with the offensive line the way they worked today, that’s what you see: one of his best games ever."
"The way he operated today was very clean football and I’m proud of where he is. We just have to continue to stay with this every week.”
Now with the vibes on a good note both offensively and defensively before continuing their extended home stretch, the momentum might be building at a perfect time, with a critical Week 9 battle on the horizon against the Denver Broncos for a chance to elevate back to a .500 record.
It remains to be seen if the Texans will have enough juice to keep their winning ways going, but if Stroud and his protection can remain similar to what was shown against the 49ers, rattling off two straight wins is far from out of the realm of possibilities.
