Tyler Shough Has Two Broken Bones and the Saints' Season in His Left Hand

The New Orleans Saints finally won a football game on Sunday, beating the Giants 34-27 at MetLife Stadium to snap a three-game losing streak, and the story of the afternoon was supposed to be a 24-point fourth-quarter lead that nearly evaporated. Then Adam Schefter reported that Tyler Shough has two broken bones in his left hand, and the conversation changed.

Shough, per the reporting, has been dealing with the injury since the Week 4 loss to Atlanta — the game where he played all 74 snaps and was hit in the non-throwing hand. He has not missed a practice or a start. He has simply been taping it up and playing. Against the Giants he threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns and added 32 yards and another score on five carries, which is a strange line for a quarterback who at one point had his team up 34-10 with under 12 minutes left.

That line is also a window into who Shough has been in 2026: efficient in the red area, protected by a coaching staff that isn't asking him to throw 45 times, and productive enough to keep the Saints competitive despite a roster that hasn't been at full strength all year. His season numbers — 1,443 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, plus 104 rushing yards and two scores on the ground — are perfectly respectable for a first-year starter. His last three games are not: 60.2 completion percentage, 5.1 yards per attempt, a 78.4 passer rating, dragged down by a 96-yard, zero-touchdown afternoon against Minnesota in Week 5 that stands as the worst start of his career.

The injury context matters here because it explains a lot of the variance. A quarterback with two broken bones in his off hand can't reliably take snaps from under center without discomfort, can't stiff-arm, and can't protect himself on the edge. The Saints' answer has been a heavy dose of quick game and designed runs, which is fine against a Giants defense that spent most of Sunday chasing, and considerably less fine against opponents who can pressure without blitzing.

That's the assignment in Week 7, because the Saints are now the home team in the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in France. Pittsburgh comes to Stade de France at 4-2, allowing 21.3 points per game while scoring 22.8, with a turnover margin of plus-3 against New Orleans' minus-3. Aaron Rodgers is expected to start for the Steelers. The game itself has been shadowed by civil unrest in France — the league has repeatedly confirmed it's proceeding as planned despite protests that produced more than 1,200 arrests over the weekend — and the Saints now have to prepare for a road-trip environment that is anything but routine.

The supporting cast is not in great shape either. Kaden Elliss (calf) and Anfernee Jennings (knee) are both out at linebacker. Chris Olave, who leads the team with 43 catches for 580 yards, was limited with an illness all week after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday. Alvin Kamara, who has 35 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns, is questionable with a back issue. That's three of the four names driving the Saints' 1.9-point injury adjustment, and it's why a neutral-field rating of minus-6.2 still lands them 21st in the weekly rankings despite the win.

The case for optimism is real: New Orleans is 3-0 against the spread on the road, and Shough has thrown 12 touchdowns against five interceptions with a hand that by any reasonable standard shouldn't be functioning. The case against is that the offense has produced 268.7 yards per game over its last three, the run game is averaging 93.3 yards, and the defense is giving up 31.7 points over that same stretch.

Two broken bones won't heal by Sunday. The Saints' season probably hinges on whether everything around Shough can hold up while they don't.