Saints On Wrong Side Of History In Tyler Shough's First Start

The New Orleans Saints didn't have the day they wanted to have...

Nov 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) throws downfield against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It wasn't the New Orleans Saints' day on Sunday.

New Orleans faced off against the Los Angeles Rams on the road at SoFI Stadium and fell to 1-8 on the season. It was Tyler Shough's first start in the National Football League and he showed some positives, but he was unable to have the ball much throughout the game.

In fact, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football shared that the Saints' 16:07 time of possession was actually the 13th lowest by a team in NFL history.

"The Saints 16:07 time of possession was the 13th lowest in NFL history," Underhill wrote.

It was a tough day for the Saints

Nov 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It's obviously difficult being a rookie and making your first start in the NFL, but there wasn't much margin for error with the Saints barely having the ball. Shough went 15-of-24 passing for 176 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He had an 81.2 passer rating and a 72.3 QBR. Nothing else was working, though.

Taysom Hill led the rushing attack with 30 rushing yards on four carries. Alvin Kamara had 14 yards on six carries and the rookie Devin Neal had 11 yards on three carries. Shough chipped in two yards on one rush. Rashid Shaheed led the passing attack with 68 yards on five catches.

All in all, a tough game to start your NFL career as a starter. The Rams dominated from the jump so the Saints could never get into a rhythm. Matthew Stafford had 281 passing yards and four touchdowns. The running game of the Rams combined for 171 yards on 43 carries. The Rams' time of possession was 43:53. It's tough to really do anything when the clock is skewed so heavily not in your favor.

New Orleans isn't fortunate to have a bye after that game. The Saints have one more game against the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers before a much-needed Week 11 bye week. Shough showed some flashes against the Rams, but the Saints overall were unfortunately outclassed in the showdown and didn't have many opportunities to make ground back up after digging a hole early.

More NFL: What Saints Are Getting With Rookie QB Tyler Shough