Tyler Shough is the clear Offensive Rookie of the Year over Tetairoa McMillan after late surge

Awards races are usually decided over months. Every now and then, though, they turn on moments and who looks most comfortable when the pressure finally arrives. That’s exactly what’s happening with the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year race. What once looked like a smooth glide path for a star receiver has been overtaken by something far more difficult to ignore: winning football at quarterback. Over the final month of the season, the New Orleans Saints’ Tyler Shough hasn’t just played well. He has changed the trajectory of a franchise. In doing so, he’s made it clear that the award now belongs to him, not Tetairoa McMillan.

Saints flip the script in Week 17

Shough led the Saints in their win over the Tennessee Titans, 34-26, in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season. That triumph was fueled by a furious second-half comeback and a statement performance from the rookie QB. After trailing 20-10 at halftime, New Orleans outscored Tennessee 24-6 in the second half. They turned a sluggish afternoon into a defining win.

Shough finished with a career-high 333 passing yards and two touchdowns. He showed command, patience, and precision against a Titans team led by fellow top draft pick Cam Ward. The turning point came when defensive end Chase Young strip-sacked Ward and returned it for a touchdown. That ignited a surge that pushed the Saints’ winning streak to four games. That’s their longest since the Drew Brees era.

Here we’ll try to look at and discuss why Tyler Shough is the clear Offensive Rookie of the Year over Tetairoa McMillan after late surge.

Shough’s late surge matters

The Offensive Rookie of the Year award has always favored production. That said, when production intersects with wins, especially at quarterback, the conversation changes.

Shough has done more than put up numbers. Since becoming the starter, he’s led New Orleans to five wins in eight starts. That includes four straight at the season’s most critical point. He’s completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and has surpassed 2,100 total yards. He has also accounted for 11 touchdowns, and thrown just five interceptions. More importantly, the Saints look organized, confident, and decisive with him under center.

That matters.

On the other side, McMillan’s season has been impressive in its own right. The Panthers receiver has cleared 900 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He has flashed elite body control and contested-catch ability. However, his weekly production, while solidm, has not altered outcomes in the way Shough’s has.

Quarterbacks don’t just contribute. They define ceilings. Shough has raised New Orleans’ ceiling in real time.

Context matters

This isn’t about diminishing McMillan. It’s about understanding value.

A receiver can dominate coverage and still lose. A quarterback who protects the ball, extends drives, and closes games reshapes everything. Shough has done that while operating behind a battered offense that has been missing key contributors. Those include Alvin Kamara, who spent time on injured reserve.

Despite that, expectations inside the Saints’ locker room never dipped. Shough himself explained that the standard didn’t change based on availability. That’s a subtle but telling detail about leadership. This team hasn’t won because everything went right. It’s won because the quarterback has stabilized chaos.

That’s Offensive Rookie of the Year impact.

Age no longer matters

Shough was viewed as a risk on draft night. At 26, he didn’t fit the modern rookie archetype. However, the Saints didn’t hesitate. They selected him early in the second round. It was a bet rooted in readiness rather than projection.

That decision now looks prescient.

Under head coach Kellen Moore, Shough has thrived in a system that rewards decisiveness and accuracy. In Week 17, he completed 22 of 27 passes. As such, Shough became just the third first-year quarterback in NFL history to record three straight games with at least 250 passing yards and zero interceptions, per ESPN Research.

Age didn’t cap his upside. It accelerated his readiness.

Beating the No. 1 pick

There was symbolism baked into the Saints’ Week 17 win. Shough, drafted No. 40 overall, outplayed Ward, the No. 1 pick, on the same field. That doesn’t define careers, but it does frame narratives.

Sunday’s victory was Shough’s fifth win as a starter and extended New Orleans’ streak to four games. That’s something the franchise hadn’t done since 2020. For a team searching for stability at quarterback for years, that matters far more than box-score dominance from a receiver on a rebuilding roster.

Week 17 looked like a glimpse into the league’s future. Now, the Saints may have quietly found theirs.

McMillan fades as Shough surges

The final twist in the race came off the field.

Saints wideout Chris Olave joked earlier that Shough’s chances might hinge on how McMillan performed against Seattle. When told that McMillan finished that game with one catch for five yards against the Seahawks, Olave smiled.

Awards don’t hinge on one play, but momentum is real. Right now, it belongs entirely to Shough.

Final verdict

The Saints haven’t had a player win Offensive Rookie of the Year since Kamara shared the spotlight with Marshon Lattimore in 2017. That drought may just end sooner rather than later.

McMillan had the early lead. Shough has the finish. When awards are handed out in February, the league will look back at December and realize when the race truly changed.

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