Spencer Rattler took a tough loss in his first career start.
The New Orleans Saints suffered another disheartening loss on Sunday, this time against their division rivals. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers shut down the Saints and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler in the second half and raced to a 51-27 win after a close first half.
Despite it being Rattler's first start, the rookie was impressive in relief of the injured Derek Carr. Turnovers became his undoing late in the game, but he showed flashes that the Saints can build off of going forward throughout the game. Despite the positive signs, Rattler wasn't feeling great postgame, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.
“Spencer Rattler said ‘it’s not a good vibe,' after a loss like that,” Terrell reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Said they can’t hang their heads. ‘Just got to keep chopping.'”
Rattler also took most of the heat for the way the second half played out and admitted that they put their defense in unenviable situations.
“Spencer Rattler said it was sloppy play all around in the second half,” Terrell reported. “He felt like they put the defense on the field too much in the second half. He said he didn’t want to turn the ball over and did it twice, he said he wants to be better there.”
Spencer Rattler shows positive signs in first start
Despite a rough second half and a blowout loss, there was plenty of positives littered throughout Spencer Rattler's NFL debut. Rattler was confident from the opening kick and operated the Saints offense efficiently throughout the first half.
Rattler's final stat line isn't anything to write home about. He finished the day 22-for-40 with 243 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but a lot of the inefficiency and both of the turnovers came in the second half with the Saints really trying to push the pace to get back into the game.
Rattler is no stranger to dealing with muddy pockets and pressure in his face after playing behind a terrible offensive line at South Carolina, and he showed that fearlessness on Sunday. He was willing to stand in there and take a hit while still pushing the ball down the field, which is a good trait to have in your first start.
Rattler also has supreme arm talent and can be deadly accurate when he's on, and he made a few excellent throws in the first half. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak made his life a little easier by moving the pocket and scheming some guys open early on, which helped the rookie find a little bit of a rhythm.
The second half was rough, there's no doubt about it. Rattler was erratic and his poor decision making that hurt him in college showed up a few times, but overall it was still an encouraging performance. As the Saints slowly slip away from playoff contention, Rattler showed enough in his first start to give fans reason for optimism over the next few weeks with him under center.
