NEW YORK – New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and Atlanta Falcons EDGE James Pearce are the NFL Rookies of the Month for December/January (Weeks 14-18).
OFFENSE: QB TYLER SHOUGH, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
- Shough led all rookies with 1,316 passing yards and a 99.1 passer rating and tied for second with eight touchdowns (five passing, three rushing) while adding 135 rushing yards during December and January.
- Shough is the first Saints quarterback to win Offensive Rookie of the Month and becomes the fifth Saints offensive player to earn the honor.
- Shough joins Lamar Jackson (December, 2018) as the only former Louisville quarterbacks to win Offensive Rookie of the Month and is one of three former Louisville offensive players to win the award, along with Deion Branch (September, 2002).
DEFENSE: ED JAMES PEARCE, ATLANTA FALCONS
- Pearce recorded 11 tackles, 5.5 sacks, five tackles for a loss and four passes defensed during December and January. He led all rookies and ranked second in the NFL in sacks and tied for first among all rookies in passes defensed during Weeks 14-18. Pearce is one of nine rookies in the last 10 seasons (2016-2025) to record 5.5-or-more sacks over a five-game span.
- Pearce is the third Falcons player to win Defensive Rookie of the Month and the second this season, joining Xavier Watts (September). This marks the second consecutive season that teammates earn Defensive Rookie of the Month honors, joining Braden Fiske and Jared Verse of the Rams in 2024 .
- Pearce is the third former Tennessee player to win a Defensive Rookie of the Month award, joining Jerod Mayo (October, 2008) and Gibril Wilson (October, 2004).
