The New Orleans Saints won back-to-back games for the first time in the 2025 season. They won the game 20-17 with a field goal with 2 seconds left on the clock. The late penalty proved decisive in a game that directly impacted Dave Canales’ Carolina Panthers’ postseason positioning. Amid the winning and losing, the focus shifted to Saints’ QB Tyler Shough, who later admitted he may have exaggerated the injury during the final drive.

When a reporter asked the Panthers’ coach directly, “Dave, Tyler said that he sold the injury on that ransom hit. I want to know your thoughts on that. Did you think of that in the moment? And then also selling injuries in that way,” the coach gave a blunt, no-nonsense answer.

“I won’t even comment on that,” said Dave Canales to the reporters, via Carolina Blitz on X. “I just know for us, we just try to look at our responsibility of it. Those are really difficult situations; Derek’s and Nathan’s the same thing. These are bang-bang situations. They happen so fast and you have to be able to make that judgment call. This guy’s a runner; he’s a threat to run. We’ve seen that over the last couple of weeks. So you have to be ready to get him down.” But that’s not all.

Trying to explain how complicated the situation was, Canales stated, “So we have to be ready to play the physical game the way it is. And then there’s that split second where you have to try to find an angle to avoid that massive collision in those spots. And it’s as difficult for us as it is for the official trying to officiate that part.”

The Panthers coach’s refusal to engage underscored his focus on defending his team’s decision-making rather than the quarterback’s actions.

The Carolina Panthers vs. the New Orleans Saints game was tied at 17-17 with only 12 seconds left for the 4th quarter to conclude. The Saints were driving with 2nd-and-10 on the board. Tyler Shough went for a rush, covering 4 yards. Panthers’ safety Lathan Ransom committed a late hit, and the officials instantly threw the yellow flags. The quarterback was taken to the blue tent immediately. A 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty was awarded to the Saints.

Charlie Smyth made no mistake in converting the 47-yard field goal, helping the Saints pick up the victory.

The play appeared normal, with nothing out of the blue. It was only after Shough’s comments surfaced that the Panthers’ coach was pressed to address the play publicly.

A late penalty on Tyler Shough’s run proved decisive for Dave Canales’ Panthers

Tyler Shough’s last play definitely helped the Saints pick up the victory. After the game, the quarterback came clean, revealing he sold his injury with seconds left on the clock.

“I don’t know how I should say any of this, but it was a great effort; it was a great kick,” said Shough, while looking back on the play. “I took, like, a knee on that fourth down, like right on my hip or back. They just put, like, a pad on it. I definitely was hurting, but I knew it was good as long as I could throw and move around… I kind of, you know, maybe sold it a little bit because I knew we didn’t have any timeouts, so I mean it definitely hurt, but I was good.”

It leaves the question of whether he was truly injured or just wanted to help his team.

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This confession might have stung the Panthers’ fans, but there’s no denying that the QB was phenomenal during the game. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown.

The Saints are out of the playoff bracket, but they will want to end the season on a firm note. They will face the Jets, Titans, and Falcons in their last three games. All of them are out of the playoffs, so the games probably won’t be very high-stakes for any of the teams.

However, the other teams will be wary of Tyler Shough after his latest confession. It will be interesting to see how things line up for New Orleans. Will they continue their streak or reset it?