The New Orleans Saints are turning a lot of heads after only two weeks into the 2026 NFL season. Almost coming back to win in overtime against the Detroit Lions in week one and upsetting the Baltimore Ravens in week two, they are making the NFL community think twice about overlooking the team in Black and Gold.
The second half of the 2025 season left a lot of Saints fans excited for the future, particularly with the then-rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Shough took over the starting role for the Saints, who were 1–7 going into week nine under the reins of their second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler. Unfortunately, Shough’s first start saw him matched up against that year’s superbowl favorite: the Los Angeles Rams.
Shough’s first start was about as unimpressive as it could get, logging only 176 yards and one touchdown on a 62% completion. However, it would be the rest of the games that followed where Shough showed flashes of just how good he can be in the years to come.
The Saints finished out the last eight games of the season with a 5–3 record, giving them a 6–11 record overall. In those last eight games, Shough passed for 2,080 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He also displayed his ability to make plays while scrambling, accounting for 175 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Shough’s best performance from that season came in week 17 against the Tennessee Titans. The game featured a battle of rookie quarterbacks: the 2025 number one overall pick Cam Ward and 40th overall pick in Shough. The Saints secured the win over the Titans with a final score of 34–26. Shough finished the game with 333 passing yards and two touchdowns, with a very impressive 81.5% completion.
Going into the 2026 offseason, the Saints’ front office were all-in on building around Shough as their franchise quarterback. They started by signing their star wide receiver Chris Olave to a four-year extension worth up to $132 million.
Going into the 2026 draft, the consensus was that the Saints should prioritize drafting a receiver to pair next to Olave in the first round. The Saints office did exactly that when they selected Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with their eighth pick. Tyson became the highest selected wideout from the Saints since Wes Chandler, who they drafted in 1978.
Head Coach Kellen Moore in his second year looked to piece together a roster that better fits his system. With aging stars like Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan unlikely to have the same productivity, the Saints office is prepared to focus on a new timeline with its younger players.
The 2026 regular season for the Saints started Sept. 13 against the Detroit Lions. The first half proved to be rather rough for New Orleans. The offense struggled to click the entirety of the first half against the Lions’ defense. The Saints punted five times in the first half and turned the ball over with Shough throwing an interception with five-and-a-half minutes to go in the second quarter.
The Lions had a 7–0 lead going into the second half, which would soon increase to 14–0 after capitalizing off another interception from Shough in the first play of the third quarter. The Lions’ defense continued to smother Shough, sacking him on back-to-back plays during the Saints’ second offensive drive of the second half.
The second sack turned costly as Lions cornerback Roger McCreary forced and recovered a fumble from Shough, putting Detroit in perfect position to once again increase the lead to 21–0.
Most of everyone in attendance already chalked up the game as a blowout win for the Lions. However, the Saints had other plans as they proceeded to score three unanswered touchdowns in the second half to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Shough looked like an entirely different quarterback as he posted 325 passing yards in the second half and overtime alone, breaking the franchise record previously held by Drew Brees at 310 passing yards in a second half and overtime.
The Saints ultimately lost in overtime after a failed two-point conversion in a 31–30 thriller against Detroit. Despite the loss, the Saints took the confidence gained from their second-half performance going into week two.
Week two for the Saints had them matched up against the Baltimore Ravens, who had a dominant showing against the Indianapolis Colts in week one. New Orleans were heavy underdogs going into M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Ravens got out to a 14–6 lead by the end of the first half, with the Saints only able to score two field goals. However, it would be the Ravens who failed to score another touchdown for the rest of the game, allowing the Saints to rally back with a field goal and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Shough to Olave to tie the game at 17–17.
New Orleans proceeded to score once more, with Shough running up the middle for a one-yard rushing touchdown to put the Saints up 24–17. Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson used their last drive to try and tie the game with 20 seconds left. His pass would get picked off by Saints safety Julian Blackmon at New Orleans’ nine-yard line to seal the game.
As of writing this, the Saints are currently 1–1, hoping to pick up their second win against the Las Vegas Raiders.