How Did Spencer Rattler Fare In 1st Start?

New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler made his first career start in place of an injured Derek Carr in Sunday's blowout 51-27 defeat to their NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rattler put forth an extremely positive showing. The Saints may have found their long-term solution at quarterback.

Rattler completed 22-of-40 passing attempts for 243 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The rookie fifth-round selection also added 27 rushing yards via four scrambles to his offensive totals.

Rattler's first career touchdown pass occurred on 1st-and-goal from the 10-yard line with the Saints trailing 17-13 midway through the second quarter. Rattler took a shotgun snap and pump-faked the defender before hitting a fellow fifth-round rookie, wide receiver Bub Means, for a go-ahead score. It was a veteran throw made with confidence.

Rattler showcased an outstanding ability to make explosive plays deep down the field. On this rep, Rattler located Foster Moreau, who abandoned his designated deep-over route to sit down in a wide-open zone. The rookie QB wasn't rattled by on-the-fly adjustments.

Rattler was 7-of-12 for 111 yards when throwing from outside the pocket, according to Next Gen Stats. That yardage was the most by any Saints quarterback outside the pocket since NGS began tracking that data in 2016, per Ross Jackson.

Rattler also displayed the ability to tuck and run when the Bucs played tight coverage. On this third down conversion, Rattler wisely utilizes his athleticism to split the defenders and move the chains with his legs. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak appreciates the savvy decision-making.

There were obvious mistakes sprinkled throughout Rattler’s debut as well. He committed two turnovers and was fortunate to avoid a third. One of Rattler’s interceptions was a critical error in the fourth quarter while trailing 31-27.

Areas for improvement will include making quicker decisions. Rattler was sacked on five occasions, partially because his time-to-throw was an above-league-average 2.83 seconds, per NGS. He was also very aggressive in his decision-making. Rattler's average completed air yards (CAY) of 6.2 is the 10th-highest among Week 6 starting quarterbacks heading into Monday Night Football, and his average depth of target (aDoT) was a high 8.1.

Rattler's quarterback rating of 60.7 was the third-lowest, but that can be aptly chalked up to two turnovers and 40 throwing attempts, the third-most of any QB this week thus far. The Saints fell behind 17-0 in the opening quarter, forcing head coach Dennis Allen into a pass-heavy game plan. That was not the intended outcome for Rattler's first career start.

Rattler's completion percentage of 55% was 13 percent lower than his expected completion percentage (xCOMP%) of 68%. Again, the volume certainly didn't help, but it was the lowest deficit of any QB on Sunday. That was further backed up by Rattler's Expected Points Added (EPA) per play of -0.25, per RBSDM, and a negative total EPA of -12.9. It wasn’t perfect.

Despite losing four consecutive contests, the Saints remain in the NFC postseason hunt. They'll reinsert Carr back into the starting lineup when he's deemed healthy. Carr is signed through 2026, but the organization is certainly starting to think about its future. Rattler showed succession potential on Sunday.