All offseason long, there has been a little bit of what we call a “hype train” moving along the tracks for New Orleans Saints’ rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. Now, granted, this is one preseason game, and it should be taken with a grain of salt, as Rattler was working against backups in this game. However, it is also worth noting that Rattler was working behind a pretty brutal offensive line as well, and was working with backups on offense too.
The stat line does not necessarily paint the whole picture in this case, as he ended the game 9-for-17 with 70 passing yards, as well as two rushes for 8 yards and a touchdown. As the third quarterback onto the field, he got some time to play for sure, but not a significant sample size as we may see in preseason games two and three.
Rattler was running for his life at multiple points in this game, trying to make things happen for the offense. When he came into the game, the Saints had not scored a touchdown, and were down 7-6. He handed off for two medium-length runs, and then threw a bomb to A.T. Perry which resulted in a 34-yard defensive pass interference foul. After a couple more short gains, Rattler took the snap, faced pressure from both sides and began to climb in the pocket, when a rusher charged him right up the middle. He decided to roll out to the right and cut upfield, and was hit pretty hard by Xavier Weaver right at the goal line. But he managed to get a touchdown, sneaking the ball over the plane as he went out of bounds.
Things were pretty slow after that touchdown, going 2-for-6 through the air on the next three drives, all leading to punts. However, he was under immense pressure for a few plays, and was sacked on one as well. The Saints went down 14-13 with 1:55 remaining, and a five second return to their own 25 yard line. Rattler would then go 6-for-8 on the last drive for 44 yards, leading the Saints down the field on a methodical dink-and-dunk drive, and putting them in place for a game-winning field goal. Rookie Charlie Smyth would drill it, and put the Saints up 16-14 with five seconds remaining, all but winning the game.
Is it just one start? Sure. Do we want to make too much of this? Not at all. However, given the circumstances Rattler was placed in, he looked pretty impressive for his first NFL appearance. Jake Haener also looked solid in his time on the field for what it is worth. However, Rattler was the leader of the Saints’ lone touchdown drive, and that makes things extremely intriguing for the next two games. If the Saints follow the same pattern as last summer, Derek Carr will likely get little to no playing time, and the two backups will hash it out with a half for each presumably.
