Saints QB Tyler Shough reveals he couldn’t close jaw after painful facial injury
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough opened up Wednesday afternoon about the painful reality of his first NFL start. The 26-year-old rookie revealed that he couldn’t close his jaw for nearly two days following a violent helmet-to-helmet hit in Sunday’s Week 9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams — a play that resulted in a roughing the passer penalty. The update added yet another difficult moment to a trying season for the Saints, who have struggled to find stability at quarterback. The hit served as a reminder of the physical toll the position demands, especially for young quarterbacks still finding their footing.
ESPN’s Katherine Terrell took to her X (formerly known as Twitter), sharing that Shough was still feeling the effects well into the week, including painful treatment on his jaw area after the game.
“Tyler Shough said he couldn’t close his jaw properly until yesterday because he got hit hard in the face during that sack on Sunday. He said he got treatment via needles to his face/jaw area. ‘Hurt like shit,’ he said. ‘But it’s all part of it.’”
The rookie’s resilience stood out even amid a 34-10 loss. Despite taking the hit from Rams outside linebacker Byron Young, Shough stayed in the game and led the Saints on a 71-yard touchdown drive capped by his first career scoring pass — an 11-yard strike to Juwan Johnson. It became a defining early-career moment for the young Saints quarterback, who continues to showcase toughness behind a shaky offensive line.
Shough, a second-round pick out of Louisville, has already drawn praise from head coach Kellen Moore for his composure under pressure. The Saints’ 1-8 record may not show it, but his development is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise challenging campaign.
The Saints offense remains a work in progress, but performances like Shough’s show a competitive edge the locker room can rally around. As the Saints prepare for Week 10 vs. the Carolina Panthers, all signs point to Shough starting once again — jaw fully intact, but battle-tested.
Lions’ Jameson Williams Finally Fires Back at Keyshawn Johnson’s Criticism
Lions Jameson Williams hears a full explanation from Keyshawn Johnson and looks forward to talking football with the former wideout.
The Detroit Lions are clearly one of the most talented teams in the NFL. Head coach Dan Campbell has built a team that is hard hitting on defense and can attack with explosiveness on offense.
They were a dominating 15-2 during the regular season last year. While the Lions have not been as efficient this season and they take a 5-3 record into their Week 10 game with the Washington Commanders, there is little doubt that quarterback Jared Goff, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams along with tight end Sam LaPorta can light up the scoreboard at any time.
Williams did not get off to a great start this year and he felt that he was not getting the ball enough earlier in the season. Going into their Week 10 game against the Commanders, Williams has caught just 21 passes for 355 yards and 3 touchdowns. He made his feelings public at one point, and former NFL wide receiver and current analyst Keyshawn Johnson advised Williams not to complain.
At first it sounded like Johnson was criticizing Williams for making his feelings public, but he explained that he knew Campbell and offensive coordinator John Morton were not going to ignore Williams. “I know Dan Campbell because I played with him,” Johnson said. “I know John Morton going back to my USC days. They are going to get you the ball.”
Williams looks forward to talking with Johnson
Once Williams heard Johnson's explanation, he said that he looks forward to sitting down with the analyst and conversing about his role in the offense. It seemed like Williams understood that Johnson had respect for his talent and that he would be playing an important role for the Lions the rest of the season. “I’m looking forward to maybe talking to him one day or chopping it up with him,” Williams said.
Goff appears to be in top form this season for the Lions as he has completed 177 of 240 passes for 1,915 yards with 17 TD passes and just 3 interceptions. St. Brown has caught a team-leading 59-635-7, while LaPorta has caught 35-436-3.
