Spencer Rattler wows in first test, but don’t count out Jake Haener

Spencer Rattler showed out in the New Orleans Saints’ first preseason game, but it’s not time to forget about Jake Haener:

There’s much ado about a touchdown, as was made clear by the reaction of New Orleans Saints fans to Saturday night’s 16-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Saints saw their first points hit the scoreboard when Spencer Rattler rolled right for a 4-yard trip to the end zone, ending a drought that lasted over an entire half of football.

Rattler looked as advertised, the quarterback with an incredibly high ceiling who was once projected to be a Heisman Trophy winner and a No. 1 overall NFL draft selection. None of those things came true for Rattler in his college career between Oklahoma and South Carolina, but he was once again exactly what the Saints needed on the final drive of the game.

He marched the team down the field in two minutes, setting up an unbelievable 37-yard field goal by kicker Charlie Smyth, who made a bigger name for himself on that attempt alone.

But, while Rattler is deserving of the praise and arguably the fair frontrunner in the competition for QB2 with Jake Haener, there’s a story of valiance (and good play) that seems to be almost wholly ignored when looking at the Saints’ most recent victory.

That’s Haener, playing with 32 stitches in his face after skin cancer surgery.

Even though the offense showed some of the same stagnancy that was reminiscent of the better part of the 2023 season during the game, Haener’s performance alone was solid — especially given what he’s been up against recently.

It was Haener’s 58-yard connection with wide receiver A.T. Perry, who had a needed standout performance to help his case, that lit a spark offensively for the first time in the contest.

He finished out the day 9-of-13 passing for 107 yards on four possessions, while Rattler was 9-of-17 passing for 70 yards with the single rushing touchdown on five possessions.

Rattler was pleased with his outing, but saw some room for improvement.

“We had zero issues with operation, operations went super smooth,” Rattler said postgame. “We could have had better execution here and there, that is what first games are for to work those kinks out. First live game, I was happy to go in there and play ball, put my foot on the gas and come out with a win.”

Head coach Dennis Allen spoke highly of both quarterbacks after the contest.

“Executed with poise,” Allen said of Rattler. “I thought Haener did a good job… Both of them led two-minute drives…I thought both of them responded well.”

It’s important to remember the way Haener and Rattler went back and forth in camp, and while the former Gamecock seems to have the edge for now, it’s time to pump the brakes before making any snap judgements with plenty of preseason football left to be played.

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