Down 20-10 at halftime and without their top three running backs, the New Orleans Saints outscored the Tennessee Titans 24-6 after the break to win 34-26 at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025. Tyler Shough completed 22 of 27 passes for a career-best 333 yards, two touchdowns, and a 142.7 passer rating — the standout individual performance on either side in what became New Orleans’ fourth consecutive win to close the 2025 regular season.
Tennessee’s Chimere Dike gave the Titans their own historic footnote despite the defeat. His 102 all-purpose yards against New Orleans pushed his 2025 season total to 2,371, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown’s 1988 rookie record of 2,317 — a mark that had stood for 37 years.
Table of Contents
Match Summary
Game Information
Date
December 28, 2025
Venue
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Attendance
56,269
Broadcast
CBS
Kickoff
11:00 PM ET
New Orleans Saints Record
6-10 (3-5 Away)
Tennessee Titans Record
3-13 (1-8 Home)
Final Score
New Orleans 34, Tennessee 26
Score by Quarter
Team
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Final
New Orleans Saints
0
10
10
14
34
Tennessee Titans
6
14
3
3
26
Scoring Summary
Quarter
Time
NO
TEN
Scoring Play
Drive
Q1
9:10
0
3
Joey Slye 50-yd FG
4 plays, 3 yds, 1:34
Q1
4:31
0
6
Joey Slye 38-yd FG
7 plays, 47 yds, 3:05
Q2
12:57
0
13
Chig Okonkwo 43-yd pass from Cam Ward (Slye kick)
7 plays, 64 yds, 4:09
Q2
5:53
3
13
Charlie Smyth 56-yd FG
12 plays, 44 yds, 7:04
Q2
3:51
10
13
Chase Young 33-yd fumble return TD (Smyth kick)
—
Q2
0:13
10
20
Elic Ayomanor 7-yd pass from Cam Ward (Slye kick)
9 plays, 80 yds, 3:38
Q3
10:34
17
20
Chris Olave 19-yd pass from Tyler Shough (Smyth kick)
9 plays, 74 yds, 4:26
Q3
7:20
17
23
Joey Slye 28-yd FG
6 plays, 55 yds, 3:14
Q3
1:51
20
23
Charlie Smyth 57-yd FG
8 plays, 27 yds, 5:29
Q4
12:50
20
26
Joey Slye 58-yd FG
10 plays, 25 yds, 4:01
Q4
6:22
27
26
Kevin Austin Jr. 10-yd pass from Tyler Shough (Smyth kick)
4 plays, 80 yds, 2:23
Q4
3:44
34
26
Audric Estime 32-yd rush (Smyth kick)
4 plays, 64 yds, 1:10
Team Stats
Stat
New Orleans
Tennessee
Total Yards
423
336
Passing Yards
320
228
Rushing Yards
103
108
Total Plays
52
72
Yards per Play
8.1
4.7
First Downs
16
18
— Passing
11
12
— Rushing
5
5
— Penalty
0
1
3rd Down Efficiency
5/11 (45%)
5/15 (33%)
4th Down Efficiency
0/0
2/3 (67%)
Red Zone (Made-Att)
2/2 (100%)
1/2 (50%)
Penalties
6 for 84 yds
4 for 35 yds
Turnovers
1
1
Fumbles Lost
1
1
Interceptions Thrown
0
0
Sacks – Yards Lost
2 for 13 yds
4 for 23 yds
Defensive / ST TDs
1
0
Time of Possession
28:19
31:41
Passing Stats
Player
C/ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
INT
SACKS
QBR
RTG
Tyler Shough, NO #6
22/27
333
12.3
2
0
2–13
81.5
142.7
Cam Ward, TEN #1
21/40
251
6.3
2
0
4–23
54.1
88.6
Rushing Stats
New Orleans Saints
Player
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
Audric Estime #30
14
94
6.7
1
32
Tyler Shough #6
4
6
1.5
0
7
Evan Hull #34
2
3
1.5
0
3
Taysom Hill #7
3
0
0.0
0
1
Team
23
103
4.5
1
32
Tennessee Titans
Player
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
Tony Pollard #20
18
85
4.7
0
25
Cam Ward #1
2
10
5.0
0
5
Chimere Dike #17
1
7
7.0
0
7
Kalel Mullings #31
1
4
4.0
0
4
Tyjae Spears #2
6
2
0.3
0
1
Team
28
108
3.9
0
25
Receiving Stats
New Orleans Saints
Player
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
TGT
Chris Olave #12
8
119
14.9
1
60
11
Juwan Johnson #83
4
95
23.8
0
39
4
Dante Pettis #11
3
53
17.7
0
32
4
Kevin Austin Jr. #81
4
52
13.0
1
36
5
Moliki Matavao #80
2
10
5.0
0
6
2
Audric Estime #30
1
4
4.0
0
4
1
Team
22
333
15.1
2
60
27
Tennessee Titans
Player
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
TGT
Chig Okonkwo #85
3
55
18.3
1
43
7
Chimere Dike #17
4
55
13.8
0
38
5
Van Jefferson #11
3
46
15.3
0
27
3
Elic Ayomanor #5
4
37
9.3
1
14
7
Mason Kinsey #12
1
34
34.0
0
34
1
Tony Pollard #20
2
10
5.0
0
10
2
David Martin-Robinson #88
1
9
9.0
0
9
1
James Proche II #13
1
5
5.0
0
5
5
Gunnar Helm #84
1
1
1.0
0
1
2
Tyjae Spears #2
1
-1
-1.0
0
0
2
Team
21
251
12.0
2
43
35
Defensive Stats
New Orleans Saints
Player
TOT
SOLO
SACKS
TFL
PD
QB HTS
TD
Alontae Taylor #1
9
7
0
0
4
1
0
Kool-Aid McKinstry #4
6
4
0
0
2
0
0
Danny Stutsman #28
6
3
0
0
0
0
0
Demario Davis #56
6
0
0.5
0
0
1
0
Pete Werner #20
5
3
0
0
0
0
0
Cameron Jordan #94
5
2
1
1
0
2
0
Chase Young #99
4
3
1.5
1
0
2
1
Quincy Riley #29
4
3
0
0
0
0
0
Jonas Sanker #33
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
Jonah Williams #54
3
2
1
1
0
1
0
Jonathan Bullard #98
3
2
0
2
0
0
0
Nathan Shepherd #93
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
John Ridgeway III #95
3
2
0
0
0
1
0
Justin Reid #21
2
1
0
1
1
0
0
Davon Godchaux #92
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
Isaac Yiadom #27
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
Michael Davis #43
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Carl Granderson #96
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Chris Rumph II #58
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ronnie Bell #85
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Team
69
38
4
6
7
8
1
Tennessee Titans
Player
TOT
SOLO
SACKS
TFL
PD
QB HTS
TD
Cedric Gray #33
12
9
0
1
0
0
0
Jeffery Simmons #98
7
4
1
0
0
1
0
Darrell Baker Jr. #39
5
4
0
0
0
0
0
Kendell Brooks #30
5
4
0
0
0
0
0
Kemon Hall #40
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
Jaylen Harrell #92
4
3
0.5
1
0
2
0
T’Vondre Sweat #93
4
1
0
0
0
0
0
Cody Barton #50
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
Amani Hooker #37
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
James Williams Sr. #52
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
Kaiir Elam #35
2
2
0
1
1
0
0
Arden Key #49
2
1
0
1
0
0
0
David Martin-Robinson #88
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
Joey Slye #6
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
Kalel Mullings #31
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
Micah Robinson #21
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
Sebastian Joseph-Day #69
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
Jihad Ward #53
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
James Lynch #97
1
0
0.5
0
0
1
0
Julius Chestnut #36
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Truman Jones #56
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Team
62
41
2
4
1
6
0
Fumbles
New Orleans Saints
Player
FUM
LOST
REC
Dante Pettis #11
1
1
0
Tyler Shough #6
1
0
0
Luke Fortner #79
0
0
1
Chase Young #99
0
0
1
Team
2
1
2
Tennessee Titans
Player
FUM
LOST
REC
Cam Ward #1
2
1
1
Kaiir Elam #35
0
0
1
Team
2
1
2
Kicking Stats
Player
FG
PCT
LONG
XP
PTS
Charlie Smyth #39 (NO)
2/3
66.7%
57
4/4
10
Joey Slye #6 (TEN)
4/4
100.0%
58
2/2
14
Slye field goal attempts: 50 yd (made), 38 yd (made), 28 yd (made), 58 yd (made) Smyth field goal attempts: 56 yd (made), 57 yd (made), one missed attempt
Punting Stats
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
TB
In 20
LONG
Kai Kroeger #32 (NO)
3
96
32.0
0
0
41
Johnny Hekker #3 (TEN)
3
151
50.3
1
0
61
Return Stats
Kick Returns
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Dante Pettis #11 (NO)
4
97
24.3
32
0
Evan Hull #34 (NO)
1
29
29.0
29
0
Saints Total
5
126
25.2
32
0
Chimere Dike #17 (TEN)
1
33
33.0
33
0
Titans Total
1
33
33.0
33
0
Punt Returns
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Dante Pettis #11 (NO)
2
22
11.0
17
0
Saints Total
2
22
11.0
17
0
Chimere Dike #17 (TEN)
1
7
7.0
7
0
Titans Total
1
7
7.0
7
0
Individual Highlights
Tyler Shough, QB — New Orleans Saints 22/27, 333 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 142.7 RTG, 81.5 QBR | 4 carries, 6 yds Career-high in passing yards; 81.5% completion rate; finished 2025 with a 5-3 record as a starter.
Chris Olave, WR — New Orleans Saints 8 rec, 119 yds, 1 TD (19-yd catch), long of 60 | 11 targets Longest gain of the game. Led all receivers in yardage.
Audric Estime, RB — New Orleans Saints 14 car, 94 yds, 1 TD | 1 rec, 4 yds His 32-yard TD run with 3:44 remaining put New Orleans ahead by eight and closed out the win.
Juwan Johnson, TE/WR — New Orleans Saints 4 rec, 95 yds, 0 TD | 4 targets | 23.8 yds/rec average
Chase Young, DE — New Orleans Saints 4 tackles (3 solo), 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits, 1 fumble return TD (33 yds) Stripped Cam Ward and returned the fumble 33 yards for a second-quarter touchdown. Also forced a three-and-out late in the fourth quarter.
Cameron Jordan, DE — New Orleans Saints 5 tackles (2 solo), 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits His pressure with time expiring forced Ward’s final fumble as New Orleans secured the win.
Cam Ward, QB — Tennessee Titans 21/40, 251 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 88.6 RTG, 54.1 QBR | 4 sacks for -23 yds | 2 fumbles (1 lost) Took down by Jordan as time expired on Tennessee’s final possession.
Tony Pollard, RB — Tennessee Titans 18 car, 85 yds, 0 TD, long of 25 | 2 rec, 10 yds
Chimere Dike, WR/KR — Tennessee Titans 4 rec, 55 yds (long 38) | 1 KR, 33 yds | 1 PR, 7 yds | 1 carry, 7 yds | 102 all-purpose yards His season total of 2,371 all-purpose yards broke Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown’s 37-year-old NFL rookie record (2,317, set with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988). Dike’s 2025 season breakdown: 396 receiving yards, 1,568 kick return yards, 389 punt return yards, 18 rushing yards. He also set a new Titans single-season kick return record, surpassing Marc Mariani’s franchise mark of 1,530 yards from 2010. Named to the 2026 Pro Bowl as a return specialist.
Jeffery Simmons, DT — Tennessee Titans 7 tackles (4 solo), 1 sack, 1 QB hit The sack was his 10th of the 2025 season — a career high. Named to the 2026 Pro Bowl alongside Dike as Tennessee’s two representatives.
Cedric Gray, LB — Tennessee Titans 12 tackles (9 solo), 1 TFL Led all players from both teams in total tackles.
Joey Slye, K — Tennessee Titans 4/4 FG (50, 38, 28, 58 yds), 2/2 XP, 14 points Tennessee’s only scoring after the midway point of the third quarter came from Slye’s right foot — his 58-yarder with 12:50 left in Q4 was the last lead the Titans would hold.
Officiating Crew
Role
Official
Referee
Adrian Hill
Umpire
Roy Ellison
Down Judge
Derick Bowers
Line Judge
Julian Mapp
Side Judge
Clay Reynard
Back Judge
Greg Steed
Field Judge
Trawick Boger
The 34-26 result was New Orleans’ fourth straight win to end a 6-10 season — the most sustained stretch of consistent football the Saints produced in 2025, built almost entirely through Shough’s development over the second half of the year. For Tennessee, the 3-13 finish was the franchise’s worst record since the 2014 season, though Dike’s historic rookie year as a return specialist and Simmons’ career-high sack total gave the organisation two legitimate bright spots heading into the 2026 offseason.
Cornelia Lindqvist is a Swedish-American sports journalist with 4 years of experience covering professional athletics. She previously worked at Sports Illustrated before joining Newzire. Cornelia reports on the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, international football, and cricket, covering game results, roster moves, trade deals, playoff standings, and player statistics. Her sports analysis background helps readers understand the strategies and numbers behind wins and losses.
