The Saints lose in Miami after a crazy final few minutes. Tyler Shough drove down the field and threw what could’ve been the potential game-tying touchdown, but then threw a “pick-two” on the two-point conversion. Naturally, the Saints converted an onside kick once again in Miami, recovered by the one and only Devaugn Vele. Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to drive down the field and ultimately lost a close game. However, there were some positives to this one: with Tyler Shough looking solid and making a potential game-winning throw to Olave that was dropped, Devaugn Vele having his breakout game, Charlie Smyth nailing a 56-yard field goal as his first official NFL field goal attempt, and young players on the defense making big plays. Let’s break all of that down, as well as another inept performance by Kellen Moore as the head coach. 

Tyler Shough

Tyler Shough started extremely slow in this one, with two turnovers in the first half and no points, but turned it around massively to close it out, finishing 26/38 for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick. He led a solid touchdown drive to start the second half, which ended with a Chris Olave touchdown on a scramble drill. He made multiple plays happen on the move and was able to navigate what felt like constant pressure relatively well. To end the game, Tyler Shough led the potential game-tying touchdown drive and also threw a perfect ball that would have given the Saints the lead, which went directly through Chris Olave’s hands. It was by no means a perfect game by Shough, as both picks (one doesn’t count statistically since it was on a two-point conversion attempt) were extremely poor throws. In addition to this, Shough did take four sacks, with a couple of them feeling like he should have been able to navigate the pocket better or potentially throw the ball away. Shough clearly has the potential to develop into the Saints' franchise quarterback, but the team desperately needs to build a more explosive weapon group around him. 

Devaugn Vele

Through the 12 weeks of the NFL season before this one, many Saints fans (myself included) were questioning why the Saints traded for Devaugn Vele if they weren’t going to use him. He had nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown before this game, and he nearly matched his season total with eight catches against the Dolphins. It seems as though Kellen Moore finally realized that Vele has very strong hands, and his size makes him the perfect weapon to use for in-breaking routes such as slants and digs. He made multiple tough catches in this one, some through contact and some where he had to drag his feet/legs to make the play. This is exactly what all of us Saints fans have wanted to see to justify the Saints having one less draft pick in the upcoming draft. If Vele continues to perform this well, the Saints may just have a true weapon on their hands… And if the Saints somehow go and add Carnell Tate, Chris Bell, or Elijah Sarratt to this wide receiver room with Vele and Olave, watch out.

Charlie Smyth

Charlie Smyth, the Saints' new starting kicker from Ireland, attempted and made his first-ever NFL field goal today, which he nailed from 56 yards away. It appeared in this one for a while that he may never even get in range to attempt one, but when the Saints called on him to make a play in a very high-stakes moment, he did his job. That was something that Blake Grupe failed to do this season for the Saints multiple times, and the fact that Kellen Moore was confident enough to trust Smyth from that distance in that scenario makes me extremely happy and confident in Smyth’s future. Also, not only did Smyth make the kick, but it looked like it may have been good from 65 yards plus. Now, this is only his first kick, and things could turn bad after this week, but an international player who fought tooth and nail on his own to get to where he is, and that hard work paying off is special. I really hope that Smyth continues to succeed and that the Saints can rely on him for years to come, because that would be one less thing for the Saints to worry about this offseason. 

Young Defensive Playmakers

Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, and Danny Stutsman all flashed today for the Saints, making splashy plays that make me excited to see what they can do for this team in the future. Kool-Aid had an interception in the endzone and a huge TFL on a late fourth down, Quincy Riley had an interception that was wrongfully called incomplete in my eyes, and Danny Stutsman absolutely destroyed Devon Achane on a run in the first half. If all three of these guys are hits, and if Jonas Sanker continues to play at a solid level, it really would be a great boost for this team’s future. It would mean they could focus more on improving the offensive side of the ball, and potentially go snag a playmaker to add to the defensive line across from Chase Young, such as Arvell Reese. Quincy Riley has become the true CB1 for the Saints in my eyes, as I feel his coverage has been better, but Kool-Aid has made multiple big splash plays that, in the future, hopefully change games for this team. 

Kellen Moore

I said it last week, and I’ll say it again this week: I’m done with Kellen Moore. If the Saints want to succeed in the future, they should fire Kellen Moore after this crapshow of a season is over. Moore called a horrific game in the first half, scheming up routes short of the sticks consistently, as well as giving touches to Evan Hull over Devin Neal. This is no slight to Evan Hull, as he did look alright when he was given the ball, but this is a team that needs to see what they have in Devin Neal for the future of this team. In the second half, Devin Neal was leaned on in the run game, and it paid off, so why couldn’t they do that in the first half? In addition, Kellen Moore seemed to be calling plays off of his “recently called plays” section of the playsheet, like I always do in Madden, as he painfully called spacing over and over again. He consistently shows no emotion on the field, does not ever seem to discipline players who make mistakes, and seems not to know how to call a cohesive game as a playcaller. Could this be due to the Saints’ lack of offensive talent? Definitely. However, I do not believe that routes being designed to be run short of the sticks is an offensive talent issue. His reluctance to go up-tempo when that is clearly what is working best in a game as well is frustrating, and I pray he improves as this season finishes up. If Kellen Moore continues to have a stagnant offense, especially if he loses games to the Jets and/or Titans, his seat better heat up, and tough conversations must be had.

Offensive MVP: Devaughn Vele

Defensive MVP: Whole defense (minus Alontae Taylor, who single-handedly allowed the first touchdown)

Special Teams MVP: CHARLIE “THE IRISH HAMMER” SMYTH