The New Orleans Saints have been an incredible turnaround story this season. While Spencer Rattler wasn't terrible to start the year, things have taken a drastic turn for the better since Tyler Shough has taken over.
Not only are the Saints winning games, but they're getting incredible play from their rookie quarterback. Shough has a chance to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he's also in the process of cementing himself as the franchise QB for years to come.
There are plenty of statistics that show how great Shough has been this season since taking over as the starter halfway through the year, but the statistic from Larry Holder of The Athletic highlights just how great the Saints' rookie QB is.
Saints' Tyler Shough is making case as best rookie QB since 2001
"Tyler Shough holds a 97.2 passer rating as a starter." Holder writes. "That ranks 10th among 112 rookie starting QBs since 2001. He also ranks No. 1 in that group with a 69.6 completion percentage."
There have been plenty of incredible rookie quarterbacks to play in the NFL since 2001, and yet, Shough is making the case to have the best start of any of them.
He's top-10 in passer rating for a rookie quarterback since 2001, and is also first when it comes to completion percentage among the 112 quarterbacks in that field.
This post from Holder comes after an incredible performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 17, where he went 22 of 27 for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
More: Tyler Shough has proven Saints didn't waste their 2025 2nd-round pick
Now, in the year since taking over partway through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game back in Week 8, Shough has thrown for 2,125 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Since his Week 14 performance against the Buccaneers, Shough has been nothing short of a revelation. He's gone 4-0 in that time and has been on a heater for the Saints.
New Orleans has found their franchise quarterback, as Shough has completely taken the NFL by storm since making his NFL debut partway through the 2025 season.
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