Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi said Tuesday that Rattler will continue to take reps with the first team in practice and will be in line to start Sunday against the Raiders if Derek Carr (hand) is unable to play, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports. Though the left hand fracture that Carr sustained in a Week 14 win over the Giants had been viewed as something that would likely end his season, the veteran quarterback isn't closing the door on returning to the field for either of the Saints' final two games. That said, Rizzi didn't provide any indication that Carr would be ready to practice when the Saints begin Week 17 prep Wednesday, so Rattler still looks to be headed for a second straight start and his fifth of the season. The Saints have gone 0-4 in Rattler's prior four starts, with the rookie signal-caller completing 74 of 129 pass attempts (57.4 percent) for 724 yards (5.6 YPA), one touchdown and three interceptions in those contests. He's also lost three fumbles and has taken 17 sacks in those contests.
Unlock the latest New Orleans Saints news — direct to your inbox.
Status
ACTIVELatest Spencer Rattler news
Career History
Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi said Tuesday that Rattler will continue to take reps with the first team in practice and will be in line to start Sunday against the Raiders if Derek Carr (hand) is unable to play, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports. Though the left hand fracture that Carr sustained in a Week 14 win over the Giants had been viewed as something that would likely end his season, the veteran quarterback isn't closing the door on returning to the field for either of the Saints' final two games. That said, Rizzi didn't provide any indication that Carr would be ready to practice when the Saints begin Week 17 prep Wednesday, so Rattler still looks to be headed for a second straight start and his fifth of the season. The Saints have gone 0-4 in Rattler's prior four starts, with the rookie signal-caller completing 74 of 129 pass attempts (57.4 percent) for 724 yards (5.6 YPA), one touchdown and three interceptions in those contests. He's also lost three fumbles and has taken 17 sacks in those contests.
Rattler completed 15 of 30 passes for 153 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and added five rushes for 28 yards in the Saints' 34-0 loss to the Packers on Monday night. He also lost a fumble. Rattler unsurprisingly struggled in the frigid temperatures of Lambeau Field, but he hung tough while taking three sacks overall. He did give up the ball on one of those takedowns and did so in Packers territory, but the miscue didn't lead to any points for Green Bay. Rattler's other turnover on the night, a late third-quarter interception, likewise was followed by a Packers punt, but it had more opportunity cost associated with it considering it came at the Packers' two-yard line. While Rattler couldn't lead New Orleans to any points, there's seemingly no incentive for interim head coach Darren Rizzi to short-circuit the rookie fifth-round pick's valuable opportunity for reps over the final two games -- especially with a favorable home matchup against the Raiders coming up Week 17 -- even if Derek Carr (hand) is deemed ready to play.
Rattler will start Monday at Green Bay with Derek Carr (left hand) ruled out for the contest, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. Interim coach Darren Rizzi implied as much Thursday but still left the door open for Carr to prove his health as the week went on. However, Carr hasn't made enough progress in his recovery, allowing Rattler his fourth career start. In five appearances overall in his rookie campaign, Rattler has completed 69 of 120 passes (57.5 percent) for 706 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, recorded nine carries for 61 yards and committed three fumbles (two lost). Jake Haener will serve as Rattler's backup Monday.
Rattler will start Monday's game against the Saints if Derek Carr (hand) doesn't play, ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell reports. Reports suggest Carr is unlikely to play again this season, but Saints coach Darren Rizzi sees it differently, telling reporters that he hopes to get Carr "back here by the end of the year." Rizzi did acknowledge Carr is unlikely to play Monday, leaving Rattler as the probable starter and Jake Haener as the backup. There's a chance Rizzi makes that official Friday if Carr misses another practice.
Saints head coach Darren Rizzi announced Thursday that Rattler will start versus the Packers on Monday if Derek Carr (hand) is unavailable, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports. Rattler logged a solid showing after replacing Jake Haener under center during New Orleans' loss to Washington in Week 15, completing 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown, including a near last-second comeback. At this stage, Carr's Week 16 status is iffy, with Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football relaying that Rizzi indicated that the veteran QB would probably have to get in a practice by Saturday in order to play Monday.
Rattler is expected to start Monday's game against the Packers with Derek Carr (hand/concussion) considered a few weeks away from being ready to take contact and likely to miss the rest of the season, John Hendrix of SI.com reports. Coming out of the Saints' Week 14 win over the Giants, Carr entered concussion protocol and was also diagnosed with two fractures in his non-throwing hand. The latter injury is viewed as the greater concern and prevented him from playing in this past Sunday's 20-19 loss to the Commanders. Jake Haener drew the start for that contest but completed four of 10 pass attempts for 49 yards and an interception while taking three sacks before being benched at halftime in favor of Rattler. The rookie out of South Carolina nearly led the Saints to a comeback from a 17-0 deficit, completing 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards, including a one-yard touchdown to Foster Moreau as time expired. Rattler's potential game-winning pass to Juwan Johnson on the two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but he likely showed enough to get the starting nod over Haener heading into Week 16. Rattler previously made three starts in place of an injured Carr in Weeks 6 through 8, going 0-3 in those contests while completing 59.6 percent of his passes for 5.8 yards per attempt, one touchdown and two interceptions to go with 61 yards on nine carries.
Rattler completed 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 20-19 loss versus the Commanders. Rattler took over under center to begin the third quarter after starting quarterback Jake Haener completed just four passes in the first half. The latter signal-caller got the start with Derek Carr sidelined by a concussion and hand fracture that he suffered during last week's win against the Giants. After being held scoreless in the first half, the Saints went on four scoring drives with Rattler and nearly pulled off a comeback after he threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau as time expired. He then came up short when he failed to connect with tight Juwan Johnson on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt. With Carr likely out for the remainder of the season, it will likely be Rattler who gets the start for next week's game against Green Bay on Monday, Dec. 23.
Rattler appears to be set to operate as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Jake Haener on Sunday versus the Commanders, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. Rattler will handle backup duties as Haener will draw his first start of the year, stepping in for injured starter Derek Carr (head/hand) in Week 15. Rattler has completed 59 of 99 passes this season for 571 yards and a touchdown while throwing an interception over three games in 2024 and he'll be ready to go if thrust into the game Sunday against Washington.
Saints coach Darren Rizzi said Wednesday that he'll likely wait until Friday to choose between Rattler, Jake Haener and Derek Carr (head/hand) as the starting QB for Sunday's game at Green Bay, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports. Rattler was the emergency No. 3 QB for Sunday's 14-11 win over the Giants, while Haener replaced Carr after the 33-year-old suffered a concussion and hand fracture. The combination of injuries makes Carr a long shot to play Week 15, but the Saints aren't ready to rule him out yet and reportedly don't plan to place him on injured reserve. Rattler and Haener shared practice reps Wednesday, suggesting it's not a lock that Haener starts if Carr is inactive. Rattler made three starts in October while Carr recovered from an oblique injury, completing 59.6 percent of passes for 5.8 YPA, with one TD, four turnovers and 14 sacks as the Saints lost each game by at least 18 points. It would make sense to give Haener a shot now, but it's possible Rattler builds a case for himself in practice this week.