Clutch play becoming a trend for Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough and his resurgent team

NEW ORLEANS — The previously hapless Saints have won consecutive games for the first time all season and their rookie quarterback is a big reason why.

Tyler Shough, who spent the first eight weeks of the season watching from the sideline, has won three of his first six starts and has done so with no small measure of panache.

One week after his escape-artist scramble produced a winning touchdown at Tampa Bay, he led two scoring drives — one for a TD and another for a last-second field goal — in the final five minutes in Sunday's 20-17 triumph over Carolina.

While neither the Buccaneers nor the Panthers have taken the NFL by storm this season, they are tied for first place in the NFC South and now have both lost meaningful games to a rebuilding Saints squad that has been playing its best since being eliminated from the playoffs.

Recent results beg the question: Might the Saints (4-10) have won more than once in their first eight games if Shough — a second-round draft pick out of Louisville — had been named the starter from the outset?

First-year coach Kellen Moore, a former NFL QB himself, hedged on that one Monday.

''You can look at the history of a ton of quarterbacks in this league,'' Moore said. ''There's a lot of benefit for guys who have been able to sit for a little bit, continue to grow and develop off the field. There's a lot of different things you can work on.

Regardless, if Shough keeps it up, New Orleans will enter the offseason with a needed uptick in optimism.

What's working

With a solid pass rush complementing a jelling young secondary, the Saints rank sixth in the NFL against the pass. After limiting Bryce Young to 15 completions on 24 attempts for 163 yards passing, New Orleans is giving up an average of 180.6 yards per game through the air.

What needs help

The Saints rank 27th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 93.4 yards on the ground. It doesn't help that Alvin Kamara has been sidelined by knee and ankle injuries, or that Kendre Miller has been on injured reserve since October, and now Devin Neal is hobbled by a hamstring injury.

Kicker Charlie Smyth, a product of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, produced a compelling storyline when the Northern Ireland native, who grew up playing Gaelic football, hit a 47-yard game-winner. He made all three of his field-goal attempts, although one was taken off the board after the Saints accepted a penalty and put the offense back out on the field.

Meanwhile, Chase Young helped set up the game-winning drive with his sixth sack in a season shortened by a calf strain that sidelined him for the first five weeks.

Stock down

The offensive line allowed five sacks against the Panthers and was flagged seven times.

Injuries

Key number

6 — The number of fourth-down stops the Saints' defense has posted in the past two games. All have been important in two close victories.

Next steps

The Saints seek a third straight win when they host the New York Jets (3-11) on Sunday.

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