“Faith, family, and football, that’s what this thing is all about, and those priorities will never change.” Kellen Moore said when the Saints announced him as their new HC. At just 35, Moore stepped into a tough spot, taking over a team coming off its worst season (5-12) in nearly two decades. The last time New Orleans struggled this badly, they fired Jim Haslett and found Sean Payton, so yeah, pressure was on. 

On Sunday, Moore got his first taste of Saints football in their preseason opener against the Chargers. And while preseason games don’t count for much, fans still hoped to see a spark, something to believe in. But the result was a 27-13 loss. And for Kellen Moore, the bigger concern wasn’t just the final score, it was the messy reality under center. In his first game as Saints HC, Moore watched his three young QBs – Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough, and Jake Haener – take their shots. And while there were flashes of promise, the mistakes piled up. Turnovers, missed opportunities, and more than a few ‘we’ll learn from that’ moments left Moore with no choice but to address the obvious: his QB room still has a long way to go.

“Yeah, I think for all three, there’s gonna be some good moments,” Moore admitted postgame. “There’s gonna be some moments we wanna have back.” Rattler showed off his mobility, Shough bounced back from a brutal pick with a 54-yard TD, and Haener, well, his two-drive stint ended with an interception. Moore didn’t sugarcoat it: “So a big lesson for us is just we gotta protect the football.”

The Chargers’ defense made sure that lesson stuck. Rookie Eric Rogers returned the Shough interception for a TD. And the Saints’ offensive line let their QBs get sacked five times. “We don’t wanna create turnovers,” Moore said, stating the obvious but necessary. “But the way these guys respond is really, really critical to us.”

Meanwhile, the Chargers, despite resting Justin Herbert, got just enough from their own QB scramble. Trey Lance scrambled for a TD, and even DJ Uiagalelei uncorked a 49-yard bomb late. For New Orleans, the growing pains were louder. Seven penalties, shaky protection, and those backbreaking picks made Moore’s debut feel more like a wake-up call than a fresh start.

But here’s the thing, while Moore didn’t shy away from the ugly truth, he made one thing crystal clear about Tyler Shough’s rollercoaster night: that interception? It wasn’t the end of the story.

Kellen Moore sees a silver lining in the mistake

The fourth-quarter pick-six should have wrecked Tyler Shough’s night. You know the play – the rookie stared down his receiver just a beat too long, Chargers defensive back Eric Rogers jumped the route, and suddenly the Saints were digging out of a deeper hole. These are the moments that can define (or derail) a young QB’s confidence. But here’s what mattered more to Kellen Moore: what happened next. “I thought he did a great job,” Moore said afterward, zeroing in on Shough’s response. “We’ll learn from the interception. We’ll grow, but his response was really valuable.”

And respond he did. Shough finished 15-of-22 for 165 yards – the best numbers of any Saints QB on the night – including a gorgeous 54-yard TD strike to Mason Tipton that showed exactly why New Orleans used a second-round pick on him. That arm talent? It’s real. The 6’5″ frame that lets him see over collapsing pockets? There’s a reason scouts loved it. But after years of collarbone fractures and setbacks at Oregon and Texas Tech, the bigger question was always about his resilience. On Sunday, he answered.

This wasn’t some clean, scripted debut. Shough took a brutal 9-yard sack from Chargers rookie Jamaree Caldwell. He made some ‘welcome to the NFL’ throws into coverage. But when the Saints needed a two-minute drill before halftime, Moore watched his rookie operate with surprising poise. When that ugly interception happened, Shough didn’t shrink – he came back slinging.

Now the real competition begins. Spencer Rattler (7-of-11, 53 yards) might have the early camp buzz, but Shough’s preseason tape just got more interesting. With one week to prove himself before Jacksonville, that interception might end up being the best thing that happened to him – not because it was pretty, but because of what came after.

Moore knows this drill better than anyone. He’s the guy who helped develop Dak Prescott in Dallas and maximize Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. He doesn’t expect perfection from rookies – he expects growth. And in Shough’s case, the growing might just be starting.