Saints Name Rookie Spencer Rattler As Starting QB in Week 6 vs. Buccaneers

Karl Rasmussen | Oct 9, 2024

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler reacts to passing a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints will be without quarterback Derek Carr in Week 6 after he sustained an oblique injury during the loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

With Carr sidelined for the upcoming tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coach Dennis Allen told reporters what the Saints' plans at quarterback would be for Sunday.

Despite Jake Haener entering the game in place of Carr on Monday night, it'll be rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler who draws the start against their division rivals.

"Spencer Rattler will be the quarterback for this game," Allen told reporters Wednesday. "We talked a lot as a staff about what we felt like was the best thing for us and gives us the best chance to win the game. That was the decision that we made, and we're excited about him getting the opportunity to get in there. We'll let him go play and see what he can do."

Dennis Allen on Spencer Rattler starting on Sunday for the #Saints pic.twitter.com/ecEtRyMNiP

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 9, 2024

Rattler, 24, was a fifth-round pick in this year's draft out of South Carolina. He's yet to take a snap in the NFL, but comes with four-plus years of college experience.

He started his collegiate career at Oklahoma, where he enjoyed a stellar season in 2020 as a redshirt freshman. That year, he recorded a career-high 28 touchdown passes alongside seven interceptions and racked up 3,031 yards. In all, Rattler threw 77 touchdowns at the college level and was intercepted 32 times.

He'll be handed the keys to the offense for Sunday's NFC South showdown, up against a Bucs defense that has surrendered the fifth-most passing yards in the league in 2024.

As for Haener, he'll be in the backup role once again. He completed just two of eight pass attempts during his relief appearance in Week 5.

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