New Orleans rookie Spencer Rattler led a crucial drive in the last minute, showcasing his skills as he aims to secure the backup quarterback spot this season. The Saints defeated the Arizona Cardinals 16-14 in a preseason game on Saturday night.
Rattler, a fifth-round pick from South Carolina, directed a 12-play, 56-yard drive in the closing two minutes. This drive ended with a 37-yard field goal by Charlie Smyth with just five seconds remaining.
“We had zero issues with operation, operations went super smooth,” Rattler said. “We could have had better execution here and there, that is what first games are for to work those kinks out. First live game, I was happy to go in there and play ball, put my foot on the gas and come out with a win.”
The Saints are evaluating their backup quarterback options behind Derek Carr, with Rattler competing against second-year player Jake Haener.
Haener played most of the first half, completing 9 of 13 passes for 107 yards. His notable moment was a 58-yard pass to A.T. Perry near the end of the second quarter, which set up a field goal. Perry led the team with 85 receiving yards.
Rattler scored a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Saints a 13-7 lead. Known for his high school success in Phoenix and his college career at Oklahoma and South Carolina, he went 9 of 17 for 70 yards.
“I thought he executed with poise,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “I thought he made some plays, I thought he was able to create with his feet when things didn’t go exactly how you wanted it to. So I thought he did a good job.”
Rattler’s mother, a second-grade teacher in Phoenix, brought some of her students, along with friends and family, to the game.
Saints rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga, selected with the No. 14 overall pick from Oregon State, started and played a significant part of the first half.
The Cardinals rested most of their starters, except for No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., who played one series and did not catch a pass. Arizona’s starting quarterback Kyler Murray did not play as expected.
Coach Jonathan Gannon wanted to use the preseason to assess backup quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune, who are competing for the No. 2 spot. Ridder, who started 13 games for Atlanta last season, was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason in exchange for receiver Rondale Moore.
Ridder played the first half, completing 4 of 9 passes for 43 yards and rushing five times for 39 yards. He didn’t receive strong protection from the offensive line, which affected his performance.
“You’d like to get some first downs, but that’s just not on the quarterback, that’s everybody,” Gannon said. “He’s not blocking for himself and he’s not running routes for himself, so I think as a whole, we need to do better.”
Tune outperformed Ridder on the first drive of the second half, leading a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Michael Carter’s 11-yard touchdown run. Tune completed 4 of 5 passes for 54 yards during that drive.
Tune ended the game with 15 of 24 passes completed for 163 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter.
“I felt more comfortable, seeing the defense and was confident in the gameplan,” Tune said. “I was seeing it well and playing on time.”
New Orleans played more of its starters compared to Arizona, but many of them were on the field for a short time. Derek Carr completed 2 of 6 passes for 12 yards, Alvin Kamara had two carries for three yards, and Chris Olave caught one pass for 10 yards.
Both teams had a slow start offensively. The Saints led 6-0 at halftime with two field goals from Blake Grupe, one from 26 yards and another from 33 yards. Arizona had more total yards, 328 to 286.
