If you watched only the first half of Sunday's Lions-Saints game, then you might have turned it off thinking New Orleans needs to find a new QB. Tyler Shough completed just 10 of his 22 passes for 85 yards, 0 TDs, and an INT over that span, earning an ugly 37.1 passer rating. But the second-half version belongs in the Pro Bowl (at least back when it existed). Shough racked up 325 yards and 3 TDs -- plus an INT -- on 25-of-34 passing while leading his team back for a narrow OT defeat. Second-half Shough earned a 120.3 passer rating while distributing scoring passes to WR DeVaughn Vele, TE Juwan Johnson, and TE Noah Fant.
What They're Saying
Shough after the game: "I'm just learning as I'm going, I feel like. I'm learning about what they're trying to call. I'm learning about myself. I was too fast in the beginning; I was trying to distribute it too fast. And just slowing myself down, letting the game come to be a little bit more but still be aggressive. ... It's still early."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: We Might Have a Fantasy Starter
So, should we expect the first-half or second-half version going forward? Probably something in between.
If Shough were to put up many full games like his first half at Detroit, he'd get benched -- even for Spencer Rattler. And the fact that he could rebound so strongly within that game, on the road, certainly bodes well for the young QB's development.
Performance-wise, we should expect something more like second-half Shough. Just realize that he's unlikely to match that passing volume the rest of the year (maybe ever).
Only one QB last season reached the 56 pass attempts that Shough tossed at Detroit. (Jacoby Brissett threw 57 times in Week 11.) And Shough's 34 attempts after halftime put him even ahead of that pace.
Shough averaged 32.8 pass attempts per game after taking over in Week 9 last season, and he delivered the position's 12th-most fantasy points per game the rest of the way.
Week 1 looks like an encouraging start to what could be a strong season for one of our draft sleepers.
Shough visits Baltimore for a potentially difficult matchup in Week 2 but follows that with attractive home dates against the Raiders and Falcons.
