The New York Jets are on the road on Sunday for the 15th game of their 2025 campaign. They will be facing the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are just 4-10 on the year, but they have turned their season around a bit recently. With rookie quarterback Tyler Shough inserted into the lineup the Saints have won three of their last six games.
Previewing this matchup, Nic Jennings at Canal Street Chronicles was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the 2025 New Orleans Saints.
1. The Saints have
been searching for the right quarterback since Drew Brees left after the 2020 season. How has rookie Tyler Shough looked so far this season, do you think he may be a long term answer at quarterback, and do you expect the Saints to draft a quarterback with an early round pick in 2026?
Tyler Shough has been exceeding expectations and improving by the week, showing more than enough promise to have fans excited for the future and to believe there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel at the quarterback position in the post-Brees era.
Shough holds a 3–1 record against the NFC South and is 3–3 as a starter—the most wins by any rookie quarterback—while the Saints have won back-to-back games and three of their last five. There’s still plenty of room for development, but the rookie has at least earned the opportunity to start for the Saints in 2026 and continues to strengthen my belief that New Orleans should pass on a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
2. How would you attack the Saints on offense and on defense?
On offense, the Jets should be licking their chops looking at the interior of the Saints’ offensive line. With Erik McCoy out for the season with a torn bicep, Luke Fortner has been starting at center and his penalties have set the offense back. Fortner had two penalties in the first half against the Panthers on Sunday. At right guard, Cesar Ruiz, who the Saints gave a four-year, $44 million deal in 2023, has been borderline unplayable due to his poor play, while Dillon Radunz has been holding up okay at left guard. Ruiz has not practiced this week as he nurses an ankle injury, meaning the Saints could be forced to roll out William Sherman. It should not be difficult for New York to break through the interior or force penalties.
On defense, the Saints still aren’t great at stopping the run and have had trouble getting off the field on third-and-long situations. Bryce Young was able to hurt New Orleans with his legs on third down. They have, however, figured out their short-yardage defense as they continue to stuff teams at the line of scrimmage. But in all honesty, Brandon Staley has his defense playing lights out during this final stretch.
3. Which players, if any, are guys who the casual NFL fan may be unfamiliar with but Saints fans know can make a difference in the game?
Well, had this been last week, I would have said second-year wideout Devaughn Vele or rookie running back Devin Neal, who have been developing into playmakers for the offense and reliable safety valves for Tyler Shough. However, both were ruled out early in the week, with Vele nursing a shoulder injury and Neal dealing with a hamstring injury suffered against Carolina.
For this game, I’m going with a player who has put together an impressive rookie season: fourth-round cornerback Quincy Riley.
Riley earned his opportunity to start earlier in the season when Isaac Yiadom went down with an injury, and he’s never looked back. He has elite ball skills and has proven he can lock down the opposite side of the field from Kool-Aid McKinstry. Along with fellow rookie and third-round safety Jonas Sanker, Riley has helped bolster a Saints secondary that many entered the season viewing as a weakness.
4. The Jets are the best in at least one thing: not making the playoffs. They have failed to do so for 15 straight seasons. The Saints share a little of this pain, missing the playoffs for five straight seasons. How far away is this Saints team from returning to the playoffs, and what will the Saints need to do in terms of their roster and their coaching staff to get there?
I’d say around three to five years until the Saints can at least return to being a contender. I have the utmost confidence in Tyler Shough and Kellen Moore, but this roster lacks youth and talent. With a couple more strong draft classes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see things start trending in the right direction for New Orleans.
5. Which team wins this game and why?
I think I’m going to be optimistic and take the Saints to win their third straight game. Tyler Shough has shown that he can elevate a supporting cast with limited playmakers, and the Saints defense is on a roll at the moment. I’ll take New Orleans 24–10.
