Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver meant it as a compliment. He told reporters during the week that Tyler Shough reminded him of a poor man’s Josh Allen.
Saints coaches spent the rest of the week calling their quarterback “Poor Man.” On Sunday, Shough went into M&T Bank Stadium and beat Baltimore 24-17.
Shough Loved Every Second of It
“I loved it. I knew what Weaver meant by it, but yeah, obviously Allen is an elite player, but it fires me up,” Shough said afterward.
That is the correct response. Weaver was not insulting him, and Shough understood that. He also understood exactly how to use it.
The Line Backs Him Up
Shough finished 27-of-34 for 252 yards and a touchdown, adding nine carries for 23 yards and the game-winning score on a fourth-down quarterback sneak with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Twenty-seven completions on 34 attempts against a Baltimore defense is not a quarterback getting carried. That is a quarterback playing well.
He Leads the NFL in Passing Yards
Here is the number that should stop the conversation about whether this is a fluke: Shough has 662 passing yards through two games, which leads the league.
It is also the most by a Saints quarterback to open a season since Drew Brees threw for 669 in 2009. His touchdown-to-interception ratio sits at 4:2.
There is a more telling stat buried in this. Since Week 10 of last season, Shough has 10 fourth-quarter touchdowns combined passing and rushing. Allen leads the league over that span with 11.
Weaver’s comparison was closer than he probably realized.
Seven Years of College Football
Shough is 26, which is old for a second-year pro, because he spent seven seasons in college. He started at Oregon, transferred to Texas Tech, then finished at Louisville, where he completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in his final year.
Across 42 college games he threw for 7,820 yards and 59 touchdowns and ran for 11 more. New Orleans took him in the second round at No. 40 overall in 2025, passing on Shedeur Sanders to do it.
That decision was mocked relentlessly. It looks considerably smarter today.
The Saints Are 1-1 and Dangerous
New Orleans lost its opener 31-30 in overtime at Detroit, which means this team has played two competitive games against quality opponents and is a possession away from being 2-0.
The Raiders come to New Orleans in Week 3, riding a 2-0 start of their own. That is a more interesting football game than anyone would have scheduled it to be in July.
Shough is not Josh Allen. He is also not a placeholder, and the league is going to have to adjust to that a lot faster than it expected.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.