Spencer

Rattler

Saints head coach Kellen Moore made the QB switch official on Tuesday, two days after he benched Spencer Rattler in favor of Shough, who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shough last week against the Bucs completed 17 of his 30 attempts 128 yards and one interception. He was the most inaccurate quarterback of Week 8 and had a far lower QB rating than Rattler. Shough starting for the Saints makes the Rams defense an elite fantasy play in Week 9. Chris Olave and the rest of the team’s pass catchers get a significant downgrade with Rattler’s benching. Rattler will likely be back under center in the coming weeks.

Moore pulled Spencer Rattler after a disastrous first half in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers and replaced him with rookie Tyler Shough. Shough didn’t fare much better in the 23-3 defeat, but speaking on Monday, Moore said the offensive failures were on the whole unit and not just Rattler. Perhaps he’ll consider going back to Rattler again despite his struggles all season, but we’ve seen coaches downplay a QB change early on only to inevitably show their hand later in the week. It would not be at all surprising if Shough was under center in Week 9.

Rattler was also sacked three times for 19 yards, which was the running theme for the former starter in this one. The Buccaneers’ pass rush haunted Rattler from the jump, keyed by a standout showing from fill-in starter Anthony Nelson. On the opening drive, Rattler was hit low, on a scramble, before Nelson jumped onto his back and punched the ball out with an arching hammer fist strike, which Buccaneers defenders successfully recovered. The Saints began their third drive from their own one-yard line. On the second play, Rattler threw a poorly aimed pass at TE Payne Durham, which Nelson successfully batted and caught, before waltzing into the end zone for a pick-six. Rattler’s time as the Saints’ 2025 starter appears to be over.

When asked to elaborate on whether or not we see rookie Tyler Shough at some point this season, Rattler said who the QB1 is would be determined on a week-to-week basis. Rattler has thrown for 1,450-8-4 in seven starts this season, but tossed three picks in Sunday’s loss to the Bears. For the most part, Rattler was doing a good job at limiting mistakes prior to Week 7’s collapse, but despite this, the Saints still remain one of the least productive offenses in the league. Sitting on a 1-6 record and with little offensive production to speak of, the move to Shough remains a matter of when, not if.

Rattler also lost a fumble on a scramble early in the game. Almost half of Rattler’s total yards came on a five-play, 91-yard drive at the end of the first half. On that drive, he made a few really nice throws to Chris Olave, but the rest of the game was Rattler under pressure in the pocket or escaping the pocket and making poor decisions down the field. The Bears were extremely aggressive on defense, which allowed Rattler to make a few big plays down the field. That was great for fantasy purposes, but it’s hard to have much confidence in him next week against the Bucs.

Rattler conceded two sacks for just four lost yards in total. He also added 20 yards with his legs. Rattler nearly connected with Chris Olave on a lengthy touchdown, but the pass brushed off his receiver’s fingertips for an interception at the goal line. Taysom Hill also stole a short rushing touchdown when he took a direct snap at the one-yard line. While he didn’t do much to light up the box score, Rattler protected the football and kept the Saints in this game until the final whistle. He is doing enough to avoid being benched, but the Saints remain weekly underdogs. Rattler will struggle to make a dent in the QB2 ranks, even in a good matchup with the Bears next week.

It was a pretty nondescript game for Rattler. He had 87 yards on one completion to Rashid Shaheed, which means he had 138 yards on his 19 other completions. Still, he didn’t make any poor decisions and was able to escape pressure when the Giants’ pass-rush got to him. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but he gave the Saints a chance to win and, in doing so, became the first quarterback drafted by the Saints to win a game for the Saints since 1998. He’s on the QB2 radar again next week against the Patriots.

The Saints chose to attack the Bills on the ground, which worked pretty well for about three quarters. As a result, there weren’t many passing attempts for Rattler until late in this game. When he did drop back to pass, he often found running room up the middle of the field. He looked elusive in the open field, so you have to wonder if the Saints will try to get him to use his legs more often. That would be good news for his fantasy value. The Saints will face the Giants next week, and that pass rush could provide even more scramble opportunities for Rattler.

Rattler deserves credit for playing fearlessly. He was pressured on a season-high 17 dropbacks and admirably completed 10-of-13 qualifying passes for 94 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was throwing on the run constantly. Unfortunately, the Seahawks jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, which allowed Seattle’s defense to largely disregard the run game. Rattler should have a similarly difficult game script on his hands when the Saints travel to Buffalo for a bout with the Bills in Week 4. Today’s 44-13 blowout loss could lead head coach Kellen Moore to reconsider his starting quarterback soon. Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough entered the game with three minutes remaining, but he was unable to complete either of his two passes.

Rattler added four rushes for 14 yards. He also took three sacks for 21 yards. It was not only the first three-touchdown start of Rattler’s career, but the first two-touchdown effort, as well. He made enough plays to give the Saints a chance to win at the end, but his 6.1 yards per attempt tell the story of an unexplosive quarterback. Rattler has looked slightly better than expected through two weeks on the job, but not enough to suggest this is going to be a positive season in New Orleans, or that second-round rookie Tyler Shough won’t eventually make starts. Rattler has a daunting Week 3 road test in Seattle.