The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly From Saints’ First Win of 2026 Season

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The New Orleans Saints finally broke through, but their first win of the season was anything but easy.

Quarterback Tyler Shough led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives as New Orleans erased an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, delivering the biggest win yet of the Kellen Moore era.

From Shough’s fourth-quarter takeover to another troubling performance on the ground, here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the Saints’ first victory of the season.

The Good: Tyler Shough Comes Up Clutch Again

Trailing 17-9 in the fourth quarter, Shough completed all five passes on a 9-play, 68-yard drive, finishing with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave. Travis Etienne ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 17-17.

Following a quick defensive stop, Shough directed a 16-play, 68-yard drive, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth-down quarterback sneak with 1:28 remaining. Safety Julian Blackmon sealed the victory on Baltimore's final drive by intercepting Lamar Jackson's pass intended for Rashod Bateman.

Shough was an efficient 27-of-34 for 252 yards, one touchdown pass, and one rushing touchdown without turning the ball over. His primary wideouts—Chris Olave (8 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD), Juwan Johnson (4 receptions, 66 yards), and Devaughn Vele (5 receptions, 64 yards)—combined for 216 of his passing yards.

Defensively, linebacker Pete Werner spearheaded a second-half resurgence with 11 tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss, limiting Baltimore's offense to just three points after halftime.

The Bad: Slowish Start

While the first half perofrmance wasn’t as bad as the one last week against the Lions, it was still a relatively slow start for the Saints.

The Ravens entered halftime leading 14-6 after outgaining New Orleans 228-137 and averaging 7.4 yards per play compared with the Saints' 4.9. Baltimore finished its two best first-half drives with touchdowns, while New Orleans repeatedly settled for field goals.

Derrick Henry opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. He entered halftime with 51 yards on 11 carries, while Jackson completed 13 of 16 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

New Orleans found more success offensively in the second quarter, but its inability to finish drives kept Baltimore in control.

Shough completed 12 of 15 passes for 102 yards in the first half and added 21 rushing yards. Vele emerged as his biggest downfield threat with three receptions for 53 yards, but the Saints struggled to establish their running backs.

The Ugly: Lack of Run Game is Concerning

The Saints struggled significantly on the ground, producing just 65 rushing yards on 27 attempts for an unimpressive 2.4 yards per carry. The production looks even worse when removing Shough's rushing numbers, leaving the team with only 42 yards on 18 carries—a paltry 2.3-yard average.

The backfield tandem of Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara generated little momentum, combining for a meager 40 yards on 17 carries. While Kamara's quiet outing is understandable as he works his way back from injury rehabilitation, Etienne's performance—25 yards on eight carries—remains troubling.

Through the first two games of the season, Etienne has managed just 71 rushing yards on 17 attempts. For a running back signed to a four-year, $52 million contract, he has yet to deliver the return on investment the Saints expected.

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