INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Shough knows exactly what he's up against when he makes his first NFL start for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The rookie quarterback has watched enough of Jared Verse, Byron Young and the Los Angeles Rams' relentless pass rush to realize he's beginning the next phase of his career with a high degree of difficulty.
“They’re probably the best in the league just from a disruptive standpoint, attacking the quarterback," Shough said. "So I’ve got to do my role and protect the ball, be ready to step up, find different lanes and just be comfortable back there. ... Their defense is incredibly good.”
The Rams (5-2) are second in the league with 26 sacks, yet they aren't just relying on their rush. Los Angeles' overall defensive play has been uniformly solid, but coordinator Chris Shula's unit is particularly effective at keeping points off the board, as evidenced by their No. 3 rank in scoring defense.
With their season slipping away, the Saints (1-7) didn't have the luxury of waiting for a more comfortable opponent than the Rams before they turned over their offense to their highest-drafted quarterback since Archie Manning in 1971.
“Obviously, if you were following that trend line, this probably wouldn’t be the week (for Shough's debut)," Saints coach Kellen Moore said with a laugh. "You know, these guys are playing really good football. But Tyler did an awesome job through his whole preparation, and I think this is a great opportunity for our team as a whole.”
New Orleans' struggling offensive line will have its hands full with the Rams' sophisticated rush, but Shough's relative mobility should help. He rushed for more than 250 yards twice during his seven-year college career at three schools.
The Rams are eager to take advantage of Shough's inexperience, but they also know the 26-year-old is no ordinary rookie.
“It's definitely a thought in our mind, but not too much,” Verse said. “When you see his college tape, he had 3,000-something yards his last season. He's very well-established. He plays very well in a good system. He knows how to control himself. You get him going, he's going to make you pay. I watched his college tape just to get an idea.”
The Rams are playing their first home game in a month with a rare quantity in their recent history — post-bye momentum.
After stumbling into the break with losing records and dismal prospects in each of the past two seasons, Los Angeles won back-to-back road games and surged to the top of the NFC before this week off.
Coach Sean McVay didn't have to figure out how to change his team's trajectory, as he did in the past two byes before leading both teams to the playoffs.
“I was saying this to my wife: ‘It’s been a few years since we’ve had an enjoyable bye or positive momentum,’” McVay said. “I was probably a little bit more pleasant to be around.”
Moore, who at 37 is among the NFL’s youngest coaches, began his NFL playing career with Detroit in 2012 and remained with the Lions until he was waived after training camp in 2015 (and subsequently picked up by Dallas).
During those three-plus years with the Lions, Matthew Stafford was his teammate and Detroit’s franchise QB.
“Yeah, that was a long time ago,” a grinning Moore said. “It’s really remarkable the type of quarterback he’s been for such a long time. He’s one of the premier quarterbacks in our league. You don’t want to give him the ball too many times in opportunistic situations. He’s going to deliver. He’s delivered year after year and he’s still playing at as high of a level as anyone in this league.”
When Shough makes his first start Sunday, Stafford will be making his 230th. The 17-year veteran has played his way into the MVP race for the first time with his 17-TD, two-interception start to the year.
The Rams expect to have their top playmaker available for Stafford when Puka Nacua returns from an ankle injury.
Nacua was leading the NFL in receptions and yards receiving before getting hurt in Baltimore, and he missed the Rams' win over the Jaguars in London. Nacua took advantage of the well-timed bye to get back near full strength.
After turning the ball over just four times in their first six games, the Saints have eight turnovers (five interceptions, three fumbles) in their past two contests.
Hardly ideal when facing a Rams team that's tied for first in the NFL (with New Orleans) in fumble recoveries with six, and tied for eighth in the league (with New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Cleveland) with 10 takeaways.
So, for the Saints, ball security has been “a big part of this week,” Moore said.
“Obviously, it’s become a trend, because it’s two weeks,” Moore continued. “We’ve got to attack that, because obviously it’s going to become a discussion point and theme for our opponents — that you can get the ball if you keep attacking it with these guys. So, we’ve got to do an excellent job of protecting it.”
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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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