The New Orleans Saints fell to the Chicago Bears 26-14 in a game where offensive miscues and an inability to protect the football proved costly. The loss drops the Saints to 1-6, leaving them sinking at the bottom of the NFC searching for answers, with some questioning if Tyler Shough is a better answer than Spencer Rattler.
With the offense continuing to struggle and the playoffs looking increasingly unlikely, conversations have begun to surface about what the team should do at the starting quarterback position moving forward.
The quarterback situation feels uncertain, and the Saints could possibly keep the door open for Shough as a potential option under center. “That’s a week to week. We’ll see as we go We’re focused on getting better right now, we’ve got to get better”. Head coach Kellen Moore stated when asked about a quarterback change.
Spencer Rattler's rough game opens up unneeded QB change talk
Rattler had his worst outing of the season against the Bears, struggling to protect the football and establish any consistent rhythm. He gave the football away four times, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. His mistakes proved costly in key moments sparking early doubts on whether he should remain the starter.
The Saints entered the 2025 season in the midst of a rebuild. With a new head coach and new offensive and defensive schemes, growing pains were expected. Analysts and sportsbooks both projected the Saints to finish near the bottom of the NFL standings, with the belief that a lack of proven talent and the challenges that come overhauling a roster.
Although Rattler has a 1-12 career record as a starter, the chatter about a quarterback change seems premature and unfair given the low expectations placed on the team heading into the season. The Saints have remained competitive in most of their games, despite the loses, and a switch at quarterback isn’t going to change their trajectory. The team would be better served sticking with Rattler and allowing Shough to develop behind the scenes.
Saints should execute continued patience with starting quarterback
Rattler is statistically having a satisfactory season, he currently ranks in the top half of the league in passing yards and in the middle of the pack in touchdowns and quarterback rating. However, his poor performance against the Bears caused a dip in several of those rankings. The Saints struggled offensively have been more on team execution than one players mistakes.
Outside of that outing, he hasn’t truly had a bad game. He’s generally done a good job of taking care of the football and has kept the team competitive in games where they had chances to win late. Patience and continued development may be the best path forward for both Rattler and the squad.