After starting 2-0 and looking borderline unstoppable on offense, the New Orleans Saints have lost three games in a row, and they face a key divisional matchup this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In Monday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, quarterback Derek Carr took a big hit and had to exit the game with an oblique tear.
The Saints have reportedly decided to start Spencer Rattler on Sunday against Baker Mayfield and crew, per Adam Schefter.
Saints HC Dennis Allen announced Spencer Rattler will start Sunday vs the Buccaneers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 9, 2024
After Carr left Monday’s game, backup Jake Haener took over under center, and he attempted seven passes, completing two of them for 17 yards.
Rattler is a rookie who was taken in the fifth round of April’s draft by the Saints after four solid years of college football, first at the University of Oklahoma and later at the University of South Carolina.
In 2020 at Oklahoma, his first year as a full-time starter, he threw for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns while guiding the Sooners to a Big 12 championship with a win over Iowa State University.
Last season, he had 3,186 passing yards and 19 touchdown passes while completing 68.9 percent of his pass attempts.
Many considered the NFC South to be the weakest division in the NFL when this season started, but now, the Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons have both emerged as good teams.
The Saints are looking to re-establish themselves as that type of squad, and they can do just that with a win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, although doing so will be difficult with a rookie quarterback in Rattler who hasn’t attempted a single pass yet in the NFL.
