The New Orleans Saints have delivered an encouraging update on quarterback Tyler Shough ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants, days after his injured left hand became a talking point following another disappointing loss.
According to the Saints’ Wednesday, October 14 injury report, Shough was listed as a full participant in practice despite continuing to appear on the report with a left hand injury.
The designation is encouraging for New Orleans, particularly after Shough raised eyebrows with his response to a question about the severity of the injury following Sunday’s 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
While Wednesday’s update suggests the injury isn’t preventing Shough from practicing, questions remain about exactly what he’s dealing with.
Tyler Shough’s Hand Injury Raised Questions After Vikings Game
Shough first injured his non-throwing hand during the Saints’ October 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He was subsequently listed as a limited participant on the team’s initial injury report ahead of the Vikings game, although he downplayed the issue.
“Just got it banged up in the game,” Shough told reporters on October 7. “Nothing different than anybody else is dealing with quite honestly. Just bumps and bruises and stuff like that.”
Shough progressed to full participation later that week and entered the Minnesota matchup without a game-status designation.
Nevertheless, the injury became a significant talking point during Sunday’s loss.
As Heavy previously reported, Shough was seen with his left hand wrapped before kickoff. FOX 8 sports director Sean Fazende also observed that the quarterback was adjusting the way he handed off the football.
Following the game, Shough addressed questions about the injury, including whether his hand was broken.
“Um, there’s, I’m not even sure if I can answer that,” Shough said. “But it was kind of banged up a little bit this week. It didn’t really affect me at all, like I said.”
The response left the exact nature of the injury unresolved. The Saints have not publicly confirmed that Shough suffered a fracture, and Wednesday’s report continued to identify the issue simply as a left hand injury.
Saints Need Tyler Shough Healthy Against Giants
The encouraging practice designation comes as the Saints attempt to rebound from one of their most frustrating offensive performances of the season.
New Orleans managed just 142 total yards against Minnesota, with Shough finishing with 96 passing yards and two interceptions in the 23-13 defeat.
The Saints fell to 1-4, putting additional pressure on Shough and head coach Kellen Moore to get the offense moving in the right direction.
Although the injury affects Shough’s non-throwing hand, that doesn’t necessarily make it irrelevant to his performance. Quarterbacks rely on both hands to secure snaps, execute handoffs and handle the football in traffic.
That was the concern raised by the observations of Shough’s altered handoff technique against Minnesota, even as the quarterback maintained that the injury wasn’t affecting his play.
New Orleans also faces a difficult defensive matchup against the Giants, whose aggressive blitz packages could put additional pressure on Shough and the Saints’ struggling offense.
There are other injury concerns surrounding Shough’s supporting cast. Wide receiver Chris Olave missed Wednesday’s practice because of an illness, while running back Alvin Kamara was limited with a back injury.
The Saints will release additional practice reports Thursday and Friday before issuing their final game-status designations for Sunday’s contest at MetLife Stadium.
For now, Shough’s full participation is a positive development. It doesn’t resolve every question about his left hand, but it provides no indication that the injury is currently keeping him off the practice field.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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