New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler made his NFL preseason debut during Saturday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, and he provided a jolt for the offense in the second half.
On his first drive, Rattler led the Saints on a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to start the second half. The South Carolina product finished off the possession with a 3-yard touchdown run that included a reach for the goal line, giving the Saints a 13-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Rattler finished 1-for-1 for 15 yards on the drive, but pass interference call on an attempted connection with A.T. Perry resulted in 24 yards and a first down at the Arizona 24.
RATTLE SNAKE TOUCH DOWN! ITS SPENCER RATTLER SZN!!! pic.twitter.com/Eyr31wJfIW
— Trizzy Trace (@tracegirouard48) August 11, 2024
Things cooled off for Rattler with the next three drives all resulting in punts, but he received a chance to run the 2-minute offense when the Cardinals went up 14-13 with 1:55 remaining.
He pushed the Saints gradually down the field, taking advantage of three time outs, to set up Charlie Smyth for a 37-yard field goal to give New Orleans the 16-14 victory.
Rattler finished the night, 9-of-17 for 70 yards and no interceptions.
Rattler showed good athleticism while rolling out of the pocked he flashed a strong right arm that made him an interesting prospect in college during his time at Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Jake Haener, who replaced starting QB Derek Carr in the first half, had the best night of all the Saints quarterbacks, completing nine of 13 passes for 107 yards, leading the team to a pair of field goals in the first half.
