While fans across New Orleans were still wondering why rookie quarterback Tyler Shough had mysteriously disappeared from the lineup, a powerful story was quietly unfolding behind the scenes — one that reminded everyone what true leadership and family mean inside the Caesars Superdome.
When news broke that Shough had stepped away from football to care for his hospitalized brother — the victim of a serious accident — the entire Saints organization was shaken. General manager Mickey Loomis and owner Gayle Benson publicly stood by him, promising that no player in New Orleans would ever fight alone.
But what the public didn’t know was how far Alvin Kamara went to make sure Shough didn’t face his darkest days without support. According to team sources, Kamara immediately reached out to Shough’s family, offering financial help and personally coordinating with the Saints’ legal and support staff to ensure his brother’s recovery. He even wrote a handwritten letter that left those who read it in tears:
“You’ve got the heart of a champion. Now, it’s our turn to fight for you.”
Kamara also asked the team to keep Shough’s locker untouched, with a small plaque placed above it that reads:
“Family doesn’t clock out.”
During a private team meeting, Kamara addressed his teammates with quiet conviction:
“We can lose games — but we never let a brother fight alone. This is family. And Tyler is still right here, in our hearts.”
A veteran player later admitted, “The room went silent after that. Some guys had tears in their eyes. Nobody said a word — we all just felt it.”
That silent leadership — the kind that doesn’t need cameras or speeches — reminded everyone why Kamara isn’t just the face of the franchise, but the heartbeat of it.
Across social media, fans have turned #ForTyler into a rallying cry of solidarity. One fan posted:
“Kamara doesn’t just run the ball — he runs hope when people need it most.”
Tyler Shough may not be back on the field yet, but because of Alvin Kamara and the brotherhood inside that locker room, he knows one thing for sure — he’s never fighting alone.
Because in New Orleans, the Saints aren’t just a football team. They’re a family.
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 10: Josh Jacobs #8 of the Green Bay Packers runs the ball for a 6 yard touchdown against Nolan Smith Jr. #3 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in the game at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
There was ample frustration in the wake of the Packers‘ 10-7 loss to the Eagles on Monday night, a game in which the defense dominated but the offense sputtered with repeated bouts of ineptitude. The teams were, statistically, evenly matched on the night, but the two Packers turnovers (to just one for the Eagles) proved to be costly–especially the final turnover by Josh Jacobs.
That was, it turned out, one of the uglier plays of the season for the offense, as the team lined up for a fourth-and-1 from its own 44-yard line with 1:26 to play and one big chance to tie or take the lead on the line. The play was doomed from the beginning. Not only did the Packers line up in an illegal formation, but when quarterback Jordan Love called out the play at the line, the Eagles reacted–pointing out exactly where Jacobs was supposed to go.
“Fourth-and-1, they called out our play,” Jacobs said. “We ran it four times, they called it out.”
The result was predictable. Jacobs was stuffed behind the line, made a vain attempt to lateral to Love and the Eagles took over.
“We got a good draw, a push, the clock was going down, we kinda snapped it fast, faster than we wanted to and they made a play,” Jacobs said. “I tried to pitch the ball back to Jordan, that’s where the fumble came. At that point, you’re kinda playing backyard football.”
The outcome of the play was worrisome, but the very fact that the Eagles knew what the Packers were doing all along speaks to a wider issue about the quality and variety of coach Matt LaFleur’s plays.
LaFleur’s job security with a disappointing team that is expected to compete for a Super Bowl was a hot topic after the game, and when it comes to his shortcomings, the fourth-down flop was Exhibit A. The Packers are obviously not going to fire LaFleur midseason, but perhaps a change in play-calling duties is in order.
Jacobs certainly doesn’t want to be in a position in which the defense knows where he is going to be before the ball is snapped.
“As a runner it don’t never feel good,” he said. “Whenever they know what we doing it don’t ever feel good because it changes my mind on how I am going to run the ball if I am being honest. It makes me kind of guess what I am going to do. Obviously, people are smart, if we got code words and you hear it a few times, like, you’re gonna eventually react to it. That’s football, but yeah, it’s never a good feeling.
“They called it out. We called our play, they said, ‘Inside zone, it’s coming right here.’ So I kinda like didn’t want to run right there, you know? But that’s kinda how it played out.”
GettyPackers head coach Matt LaFleur.
While the offense as a whole has been on a downswing, the Packers running game remains a mystery. The team has 1,007 yards on the ground, 20th in the NFL, after ranking as the No. 5 rushing attack last season, with 2,496 yards.
Jacobs said a turnaround is a matter of cleaning up the “messes.”
“Not making any excuses,” he said. “We’ve got to clean up the work. A lot of the game is messy, especially after creating good plays, we just got to be more consistent. Our defense held them down, stopped them real good, played like a championship defense. Offense, that’s on us. We gotta pick it up.”