Just how bad of a day did Tyler Shough have against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5? Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza finally made his debut after riding the bench to start his rookie year, and he outscored Shough in just one drive -- at least as far as fantasy football is considered. We've written a lot about how the cards were stacked against Shough, between poor play calling by New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore, the shortcomings of his supporting cast, and the fact he's playing with an injured left hand. But Shough
Shough finished with -0.16 points at ESPN after going 16-of-25 for 96 yards, throwing two interceptions. Mendoza only got on the field long enough to throw eight times, but he completed six passes for 48 yards, and he didn't turn it over. He also gained three yards on a single rushing attempt, putting him at 2.22 points on the day. So it's not so much that Mendoza outplayed Shough in a winning effort (he replaced Kirk Cousins after the Raiders went down 45-17 late in the fourth quarter) as it is that Mendoza didn't turn the ball over.
Hopefully Shough bounces back soon. There's only so much he can do when his play caller isn't smashing the "easy buttons" successful coaches use to give their quarterbacks favorable situations. The Saints rank among the NFL's lowest offenses in rates of using play action and screens to spread defenses out, and their insistence on having the offensive tackles block on an island makes Shough a sitting duck against a blitz-heavy defense like the Vikings. New Orleans might have found a real quarterback in Shough. But they're going to waste his potential if Moore can't improve his side of the operation.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza outscored Tyler Shough on just 8 passes