Atlanta Falcons fans have had to witness one of the more interesting media narratives this summer follow their arch-rivals: the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have been floated as a dark horse to win the NFC South, and a big reason for that is the potential sophomore surge from QB Tyler Shough,
With Shough starting, the Saints won five of their final six games of last season and he threw for over 300 yards in two of their final three games. So now that New Orleans added weapons such as Jordyn Tyson, Bryce Lance, and Travis Etienne for their young QB this offseason, the hype train is taking off.
Early returns in training camp suggest that his best is yet to come. The 26-year-old has capitalized on another offseason working with Kellen Moore and has made some great throws in camp. However, Falcons fans aren't falling for the trap because they saw who this signal-caller truly is late last season.
The Atlanta Falcons don't think Tyler Shough is anything to worry about
Falcons fans aren't worried, and it's hard to blame them. Let's go back to that six-week stretch last season. The only loss Shough's Saints endured came in Atlanta. In fact, the Falcons swept their division rivals last season, but nobody is talking about it because of their quarterback concerns.
The 2025 second-round pick totaled a 79.1 passer rating and threw two interceptions in two matchups against the Dirty Birds last season. Jeff Ulbrich's defense had him in a snuggie, but because he lit up the Jets and Titans in two meaningless games, people have forgotten about it.
Those games alone were the reason he finished as the Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up. Against two teams that finished with bottom-five records, all of the narratives that followed Shough shifted. But nobody remembers that he mustered just 27 points in two matchups against Atlanta.
Of course the Louisville product has a bright future. He's been good in camp, is working with an elite offensive mind, and is in a great situation. But unless you're a Falcons fan who watched him look like Zach Wilson incarnate in Week 18, odds are you likely don't see how the hype is getting overblown.
Shough can be great in training camp all he wants. More often than not, a good showing before the pads come on in training camp doesn't amount to much in the regular season. I don't know who needs to hear this, but the Saints are not the worst-to-first dream team you may be envisioning.
Even with how good he's looked this summer, it's hard for Falcons fans to wrap their heads around the Tyler Shough breakout buzz knowing full well how this story ended last year.
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