The New Orleans Saints gave Jake Haener all of one half to prove he was the best option to lead this team without Derek Carr, and he spent that half showing that he is so limited he may not even be guaranteed a roster spot in the 2025 season.
Haener completed just four passes in the first half, was intercepted once, and failed to lead the Saints to any scoring drives. Head coach Darren Rizzi was disgusted, eventually putting in fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler to replace him. While he didn't light the world on fire, he was an improvement.
After starting his day off by ripping a beautiful throw down the field to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rattler eventually led the Saints to their first scoring drive. Oddly enough, it wasn't Rattler who ended up finding paydirt as a result of this throw.
Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson was given a chance to throw on a wild trick play, and he did so by hooking up with Alvin Kamara for a 21-yard score. The Washington Commanders' lead was cut to 17-7, though it was later extended to 20-7 with a field goal.
Saints look alive after Spencer Rattler leads TD drive featuring trick-play TD
Rattler may not be the most accurate quarterback in the world, but in terms of velocity and pure arm talent, Haener isn't even in the same league. This ability to make all sorts of high-difficulty throws will allow Klint Kubiak to run a more diverse offense for Rattler.
Rattler did get some really bad luck in his first few starts, as he was handed games against a divisional rival in the Bucs followed by two Top 10 defenses in the Chargers and Broncos. Against a less dominant unit in Washington, Rattler is showing more flashes of the star he was during his days with South Carolina and Oklahoma.
The Saints are not going to win many games with Rattler as the starter, but the offense looks genuine and competitive when they have someone with his skill level in the game. Haener is starting to look more like a botched pick by the day, especially when compared to Rattler.