As the rain and turf at Raymond James Stadium caked cleats, slicked hands and smeared jerseys, Tyler Shough left the field as pristine as he possibly could have on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.
The New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback showed off the goods that made him the Saints’ highest drafted quarterback since 1971 in a 24-20 victory, his second as a starter and the third this season for the Saints (3-10).
Shough ran for two touchdowns — including a lead-taking 13-yarder with 8:42 left — and benefited from a herculean defensive effort. New Orleans’ defense forced a turnover and produced five fourth-down stops, as the Saints won their second road game this season, each over the top two teams (Carolina and Tampa Bay) in the NFC South Division.
“This is why you play football,” Shough said, after helping New Orleans raise its record to 2-3 in his starts. “You come in here, in the elements with all your boys, with all your teammates and we fought really hard. I was really proud of the O-line, just kind of chugging along the whole way, they did a really good job in protection.
“The defense was making huge stops. I think we did a better job of being a little bit more complementary, and I’m just proud of all of our guys. It took everybody, so it was just a lot of fun. That’s the thing that is kind of resonating with me right now, it was just a lot of fun. And I think this shows kind of how we are as a team.”