NASHVILLE, Tenn. | December 28, 2025 | Week 17 | Nissan Stadium
Table of Contents
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 0 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
| Tennessee Titans | 6 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| Venue | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn. |
| Attendance | 56,269 |
| Weather | 71°F, 71% humidity, 14 mph wind |
| Surface | Grass (outdoors) |
| Duration | 3:10 |
| Vegas Line | Saints -1.5 |
| Over/Under | 39.5 (Over; combined: 60 pts) |
| Broadcast | CBS |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tyler Shough walked off the field at Nissan Stadium with 333 passing yards, a career-best 142.7 passer rating, and his fourth consecutive win as the Saints’ starting quarterback. New Orleans trailed 20-10 at halftime, trailed again by six with under 13 minutes to play, then scored 14 unanswered points to beat the Tennessee Titans 34-26 on December 28, 2025.
The Saints outscored Tennessee 24-6 and outgained the Titans 331-152 yards in the second half. New Orleans finished the 2025 regular season at 6-10. Tennessee dropped to 3-13, finishing 1-8 at home.
Shough completed 22 of 27 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions — a 142.7 passer rating, the best of his rookie year. Facing Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, in the league’s third rookie quarterback head-to-head of the season, Shough improved his record as a starter to 5-3. Ward finished 21 of 40 for 251 yards, took four sacks, and lost a fumble that Chase Young returned 33 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
First-year Saints head coach Kellen Moore was measured but clear.
“He’s obviously having a special season. I know he doesn’t start the season as the starter, but just the way he’s handled himself through this whole journey, I think really, really special.”
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Team | Play | NO | TEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 9:10 | TEN | Joey Slye 50-yd FG | 0 | 3 |
| Q1 | 4:31 | TEN | Joey Slye 38-yd FG | 0 | 6 |
| Q2 | 12:57 | TEN | Chig Okonkwo 43-yd pass from Cam Ward (Slye kick) | 0 | 13 |
| Q2 | 5:53 | NO | Charlie Smyth 56-yd FG | 3 | 13 |
| Q2 | 3:51 | NO | Chase Young 33-yd fumble return (Smyth kick) | 10 | 13 |
| Q2 | 0:13 | TEN | Elic Ayomanor 7-yd pass from Cam Ward (Slye kick) | 10 | 20 |
| Q3 | 10:34 | NO | Chris Olave 19-yd pass from Tyler Shough (Smyth kick) | 17 | 20 |
| Q3 | 7:20 | TEN | Joey Slye 28-yd FG | 17 | 23 |
| Q3 | 1:51 | NO | Charlie Smyth 57-yd FG | 20 | 23 |
| Q4 | 12:50 | TEN | Joey Slye 58-yd FG | 20 | 26 |
| Q4 | 6:22 | NO | Kevin Austin Jr. 10-yd pass from Shough (Smyth kick) | 27 | 26 |
| Q4 | 3:44 | NO | Audric Estime 32-yd rush (Smyth kick) | 34 | 26 |
First Half: Tennessee in Control
Tennessee opened with back-to-back field goal drives, the first set up by a first-series Saints sack-fumble. Slye hit from 50 yards, then from 38, before Ward connected with tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo on a 43-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to push the lead to 13-0.
Chase Young cut it to 13-10 at 3:51 of the second quarter. He sacked Ward, stripped the ball, scooped it up, and returned it 33 yards for the score. That momentum lasted 98 seconds. A defensive pass interference penalty moved Tennessee to the New Orleans 7 late in the half, and Ward found Elic Ayomanor from seven yards out as time expired. Saints trailed 20-10 at the break.
Second Half: Saints Take the Game Over
Shough opened the third quarter on a nine-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave to make it 20-17. A Slye field goal pushed Tennessee back to 23-17, and Smyth answered from 57 yards to make it a three-point game heading into the fourth quarter.
Slye connected from 58 yards with 12:50 left to put Tennessee back up 26-20. Then Shough drove 80 yards in four plays. A 39-yard completion to Juwan Johnson moved past midfield. Olave’s 60-yard catch set up first-and-goal at the New Orleans eight. Kevin Austin Jr. caught the go-ahead touchdown from 10 yards out at 6:22.
Estime broke a 32-yard touchdown run up the middle with 3:44 remaining to make it 34-26. On Tennessee’s final possession, Cameron Jordan forced a Ward fumble as the clock hit zero.
Passing Stats
| Player | Team | CMP | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG | PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | NO | 22 | 27 | 333 | 12.3 | 2 | 0 | 2-13 | 142.7 | 82.1 |
| Cam Ward | TEN | 21 | 40 | 251 | 6.3 | 2 | 0 | 4-23 | 88.6 | — |
Per PFF, Shough’s adjusted completion rate held at 81.5% — every completion was catchable. Ward threw four throwaways and was hit as thrown twice. The Saints’ pass rush generated 40 total pressures against Ward’s offensive line; Tennessee’s generated 16 against Shough.
Rushing Stats
| Player | Team | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audric Estime | NO | 14 | 94 | 6.7 | 1 | 32 |
| Tyler Shough | NO | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 0 | 7 |
| Evan Hull | NO | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 3 |
| Taysom Hill | NO | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Saints Total | 23 | 103 | 4.5 | 1 | 32 | |
| Tony Pollard | TEN | 18 | 85 | 4.7 | 0 | 25 |
| Cam Ward | TEN | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Chimere Dike | TEN | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Kalel Mullings | TEN | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tyjae Spears | TEN | 6 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 | 1 |
| Titans Total | 28 | 108 | 3.9 | 0 | 25 |
Estime forced seven broken tackles on 14 carries per Pro Football Reference. His 32-yard sealing touchdown run in the fourth quarter came on a pull-guard gap burst that he converted untouched through the second level.
Receiving Stats
| Player | Team | TGT | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Olave | NO | 11 | 8 | 119 | 14.9 | 1 | 60 | 56 |
| Juwan Johnson | NO | 4 | 4 | 95 | 23.8 | 0 | 39 | 37 |
| Dante Pettis | NO | 4 | 3 | 53 | 17.7 | 0 | 32 | 40 |
| Kevin Austin Jr. | NO | 5 | 4 | 52 | 13.0 | 1 | 36 | 26 |
| Moliki Matavao | NO | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
| Audric Estime | NO | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Saints Total | 27 | 22 | 333 | 15.1 | 2 | 60 | — | |
| Chig Okonkwo | TEN | 7 | 3 | 55 | 18.3 | 1 | 43 | 45 |
| Chimere Dike | TEN | 5 | 4 | 55 | 13.8 | 0 | 38 | 6 |
| Van Jefferson | TEN | 3 | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 0 | 27 | 6 |
| Elic Ayomanor | TEN | 7 | 4 | 37 | 9.3 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Mason Kinsey | TEN | 1 | 1 | 34 | 34.0 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| Tony Pollard | TEN | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 10 | 11 |
| D. Martin-Robinson | TEN | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| James Proche II | TEN | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Gunnar Helm | TEN | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Tyjae Spears | TEN | 2 | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | — | 4 |
| Titans Total | 35 | 21 | 251 | 12.0 | 2 | 43 | — |
Olave’s 60-yard catch late in the fourth set up Austin Jr.’s go-ahead score. Juwan Johnson earned the game’s top offensive PFF grade at 89.0, catching all four of his targets for 95 yards at 23.8 per reception.
Saints Defensive Stats
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS | FF | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alontae Taylor | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Stutsman | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demario Davis | 6 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pete Werner | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Chase Young | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Quincy Riley | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonah Williams | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Bullard | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathan Shepherd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Ridgeway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davon Godchaux | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Alontae Taylor was targeted nine times and allowed a 79.4 passer rating against him, the best mark among Saints corners. He added four pass breakups. Cameron Jordan, PFF grade 86.7, had a sack, a forced fumble mid-game, and forced the final Ward fumble on the clock-expiring play.
Titans Defensive Stats
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS | PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedric Gray | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80.4 |
| Jeffery Simmons | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 91.9 |
| Darrell Baker Jr. | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kendell Brooks | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kemon Hall | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Jaylen Harrell | 4 | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| T’Vondre Sweat | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78.4 |
| Cody Barton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kaiir Elam | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Amani Hooker | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Arden Key | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| James Lynch | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
Jeffery Simmons earned a 91.9 PFF grade — the highest defensive mark on either team — and recorded a sack that gave him 10 on the season, a career high.
Special Teams
Kicking
| Player | Team | FGM-FGA | PCT | LONG | XPM-XPA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Smyth | NO | 2-3 | 66.7% | 57 | 4-4 | 10 |
| Joey Slye | TEN | 4-4 | 100.0% | 58 | 2-2 | 14 |
Slye went 4-for-4 including a 58-yarder in the fourth quarter to put Tennessee back in front 26-20. Smyth connected from 56 and 57 yards but missed an early 43-yarder that would have pulled New Orleans within three.
Punting
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai Kroeger | NO | 3 | 96 | 32.0 | 41 |
| Johnny Hekker | TEN | 3 | 151 | 50.3 | 61 |
Kick Returns
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dante Pettis | NO | 4 | 97 | 24.3 | 32 | 0 |
| Evan Hull | NO | 1 | 29 | 29.0 | 29 | 0 |
| Chimere Dike | TEN | 1 | 33 | 33.0 | 33 | 0 |
Punt Returns
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dante Pettis | NO | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 17 | 0 |
| Chimere Dike | TEN | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 |
Chimere Dike Passes Tim Brown for the All-Time Rookie Record
Dike entered Sunday needing 75 all-purpose yards to break a record that had stood since 1988. He got there by halftime. His performance pushed his 2025 season total to 2,371 all-purpose yards, clearing Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown’s 37-year-old rookie record of 2,317. The previous closest attempt before Dike was Danny Amendola’s 2,302 in 2009. Dike, a fourth-round pick selected 103rd overall, had already been named to the Pro Bowl as a return specialist earlier that week.
Full Team Stats
| Category | Saints | Titans |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 423 | 336 |
| Net Passing Yards | 320 | 228 |
| Rushing Yards | 103 | 108 |
| Total Plays | 52 | 72 |
| Yards Per Play | 8.1 | 4.7 |
| First Downs | 16 | 18 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 11 | 12 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 5 | 5 |
| Penalty 1st Downs | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 5/11 (45%) | 5/15 (33%) |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 0/0 | 2/3 |
| Red Zone (TD Conv.) | 2/2 | 1/3 |
| Red Zone Scoring Eff. | 100% | 100% |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-13 | 4-23 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 6-84 | 4-35 |
| Time of Possession | 28:19 | 31:41 |
| Total Pressures Allowed | 16 | 40 |
| EPA/Play (Offense) | +0.235 | -0.188 |
The Saints ran 20 fewer plays and held the ball nearly four fewer minutes. They still outgained Tennessee by 87 yards and averaged 8.1 yards per play to the Titans’ 4.7. Tennessee actually scored on all three of its red zone trips — one touchdown and two field goals — but converting only one trip into a TD while New Orleans went 2-for-2 in the end zone was the difference.
PFF Grade Leaders
| Player | Team | Position | Grade | Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffery Simmons | TEN | DI | 91.9 | 52 |
| Juwan Johnson | NO | TE | 89.0 | 39 |
| Cameron Jordan | NO | ED | 86.7 | 38 |
| Kevin Zeitler | TEN | G | 86.7 | 72 |
| Audric Estime | NO | HB | 84.4 | 41 |
| Chris Olave | NO | WR | 82.9 | 49 |
| Tyler Shough | NO | QB | 82.1 | 53 |
| Cedric Gray | TEN | LB | 80.4 | 54 |
| T’Vondre Sweat | TEN | DI | 78.4 | 33 |
Down 20-10 at halftime, trailing again in the fourth quarter, the Saints kept finding an answer every time Tennessee pushed back. Audric Estime put it plainly after the final whistle.
“He’s a resilient guy, man. He’s a guy that I want to play for. He’s the guy that will make you run through a brick wall. Like you can see him stay in the pocket, take those hits and still pop up and deliver. He is a great leader.”
Tennessee interim head coach Mike McCoy was brief.
“We didn’t finish. Simple as that. We did not finish.”
The full Saints vs Titans player stats from Week 17 show the gap clearly: Shough completed 81.5% of his passes per PFF’s adjusted rate while Ward completed 61.8%, Shough’s offensive line allowed 16 pressures while Ward absorbed 40, and when New Orleans reached the red zone it came away with touchdowns both times. Ward had a final chance with the ball at the Saints 43 and two timeouts. Cameron Jordan ended it with a sack-fumble as the clock expired.
