Spencer Rattler stepped in for Jake Haener after halftime and quickly made an impact. On his first play, he threw the ball away just in time to avoid two unblocked Washington pass rushers.
Rattler’s performance was much better than Haener’s struggles earlier in the game. Rattler almost led the New Orleans Saints back from a 17-0 deficit. The game ended in a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders, but Rattler gave the Saints a chance to win with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau as time expired.
Coach Darren Rizzi decided to go for a two-point conversion instead of tying the game with an extra point, but tight end Juwan Johnson couldn’t catch Rattler’s pass in the corner of the end zone.
“I just went out there and played my style,” said Rattler, who hadn’t played since October when he stepped in for the injured Derek Carr. “I wanted to cut it loose and play free.”
Before Rattler entered, Haener had a tough first half, completing 4 of 10 passes for 49 yards. The Saints had no points, only two first downs, and gained just 38 yards with Haener in the game, running only 14 plays.
Things changed with Rattler. On his four drives, the Saints scored each time, gaining 207 yards and getting 15 first downs. Rattler threw a 39-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, setting up a touchdown pass from Cedric Wilson to Alvin Kamara. Blake Grupe made two field goals, and Rattler led the Saints 56 yards in the final 1:55 to set up the game’s last play.
“We felt like we needed to make a change there at halftime,” Coach Rizzi said. “Spencer did a great job, came in, provided some spark, but not only that, we only gave up six points in the second half, which gave us a chance.”
Haener, drafted in 2023, made his first career start after Derek Carr was ruled out due to a hand injury and a concussion. Haener struggled early, getting sacked twice and throwing an interception that set up a Washington touchdown. He did not play in the second half.
“I obviously want to be able to go and not have that leash be that tight,” Haener said. “I felt like I wanted to go out there and have an opportunity to play a full game, but sometimes it’s not up to me.”
Rizzi didn’t blame Haener completely for the struggles in the first half. He pointed out that a big play was called back due to a penalty and an open pass was missed just before Haener’s interception.
“I’m certainly not down on Jake,” Rizzi said. “Sometimes when you’re in one of these games, you’re just stale, you’re looking for a spark and I just felt a change at that position was the way to go.”
Rattler finished the game with 10 completions on 21 attempts for 135 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t turn the ball over or get sacked. His first two completions gained 51 yards, more than Haener’s total of 49 yards.
“He hit some plays. We saw that from him coming out in his college days at South Carolina,” said Commanders coach Dan Quinn. “You never know. Sometimes when you come in, you’ve got nothing to lose and you let it rip.”
When Washington missed a 54-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining, Rattler had a chance to complete the comeback. He threw a pass to Kevin Austin Jr. to convert a third-and-1 and later hit Moreau for 7 yards to set up a final 1-yard touchdown with no time left.
“We believed that we could come out and go win the game and we were an inch away,” Rattler said. “So, got to be proud of that.”
