There were times when rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler had the lively Superdome crowd believing he could lead the New Orleans Saints to their biggest comeback since 2009.
But then, he and the Saints fell apart.
Rattler, a fifth-round draft pick making his NFL debut in place of injured Derek Carr, threw two interceptions and was sacked five times in the second half as a three-point lead turned into a 51-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New Orleans had scored 20 points in just over five minutes during the second quarter to come back from a 17-0 deficit, but they were shut out in the second half.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a few times, made a few mistakes, starting with myself,” Rattler said. “Got to play better in the second half, but we fought, we battled and we’ll learn and get better from it.”
Rattler, who was inactive for the first five games behind Carr and second-year quarterback Jake Haener, troubled the Buccaneers early with a series of planned rollouts. He finished 22 of 40 for 243 yards but struggled in the second half, going 11 of 23 for 103 yards.
All five of the Bucs’ sacks occurred in the second half.
“We were setting the edge more with our outside guys instead of trying to drop them,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “We knew if we could cut him off in the pocket and just keep him as a pocket passer, we’d have a chance to get a little pressure on him.”
Rattler was sacked twice in a row after the Saints took over near midfield following a Tampa Bay punt in the third quarter. This led to Chris Godwin’s 55-yard touchdown catch and run, giving the Bucs a 31-27 lead that they never lost.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, cornerback Zyon McCollum intercepted Rattler’s underthrown deep pass aimed at receiver Rashid Shaheed, which led to another touchdown for Tampa Bay.
Another interception by safety Tykee Smith ended a stretch of five drives where the Saints only managed one first down and had two turnovers.
“They definitely had a good plan that second half, but it came down to execution,” Rattler said. “It was about what we could have done better and what I could have done better.”
During pregame introductions, Rattler received one of the loudest cheers, along with star running back Alvin Kamara. He drew more applause when he completed his first pass for 27 yards.
His next pass was also on target, but Smith stripped the ball from Chris Olave, and Antoine Winfield Jr. returned it 58 yards for a touchdown, giving the Buccaneers a 14-0 lead. Olave also suffered a concussion from a helmet-to-helmet hit, leaving the Saints without their top wide receiver.
