Tag: New Orleans Saints

Darren Rizzi explains Saints’ midgame quarterback switch

Darren Rizzi explained why he chose to bench Jake Haener in favor of Spencer Rattler midway through Sunday’s game:

Darren Rizzi and the New Orleans Saints came up short in Sunday’s 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders.

They didn’t stick with the same quarterback for the entirety of the affair, either. The team went with former Fresno State signal-caller Jake Haener out of the gate, but that is not who the team stayed with.

The Saints brought in former Oklahoma and South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler near halftime after Haener had completed four of his 10 passing attempts for 49 yards without a touchdown but with a singular interception.

“We did not play the game we wanted to play in the first half. That wasn’t all on the quarterback,” Rizzi said after the game. “I just felt like and the offensive coaches felt like we needed a spark.”

Rattler seems to pretty instantaneously bring a new sense of energy to the New Orleans offense even if it did not fully win the game for the Saints. There was a marked turn of tide though, as New Orleans took it to the house for the first drive of the third quarter with Rattler at the helm.

It came on quite the trick play as Cedric Wilson found star running back Alvin Kamara to the cut the Commanders lead to 17-7.

It will be interesting to see what Rizzi decides to do at quarterback moving forward with Carr once again still sidelined due to a major injury — the second time that has happened this season.

Rattler ended his day by completing 10 of his 21 passing attempts for 135 yards with one passing touchdown.

He hasn’t made it clear who he will opt for, but one thing that does remain clear is that this is still anyone’s game between Rattler and Haener.

Commanders vs. Saints: Best photos from Week 15

A collection of the best photos from Week 15.

The Washington Commanders improved to 9-5 with Sunday’s 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was phenomenal again, completing 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels also led Washington with 66 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Other than Terry McLaurin, Daniels didn’t receive a lot of help. He was sacked eight times and dealt with injuries all around him. After Sunday’s performance, Daniels furthered his case for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Despite a furious late comeback attempt, Washington held off the Saints.

Here are some of the best photos from the Week 15 battle between the Commanders and Saints.

Jayden Daniels’ hilarious response to Saints’ failed 2-point conversion attempt

Daniels shares his reaction to the Saints’ two-point play at the end of the game.

The Washington Commanders led the New Orleans Saints 14-0 at halftime of Sunday’s game from the Caesars Superdome. Much of Washington’s offensive success was due to the right arm and legs of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The Commanders were in cruise control but struggled in the second half. They held on for a 20-19 victory, improving to 9-5 in the process. It almost didn’t happen.

Washington led 20-13 with under two minutes remaining when the Saints drove down the field to either tie or win the game. Unfortunately for the Commanders, the officials didn’t stop the clock with under 10 seconds remaining, allowing New Orleans one more chance at a game-tying touchdown.

The officiating crew’s assist allowed the Saints to score, making it 20-19. Instead of aiming for a tie and overtime, interim coach Darren Rizzi went for the win. However, the pass fell incomplete, and Washington escaped the Big Easy with a much-needed win.

Daniels, who was phenomenal, completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Commanders in rushing with 66 yards.

So, what was Daniels thinking when the Saints went for the two-point conversion and the win?

“S–t, I was just hoping we would win,” Daniels told reporters after the game.

Daniels was every Washington fan at that point. Going from a game that looked like a potential blowout to coming down to the wire was the type of drama the Commanders hoped was behind them.

Daniels took responsibility for the close game, believing he and the offense needed to be better with the details.

Social media is furious with NFL officiating in Commanders-Saints game

It’s unanimous: the NFL almost screwed the Commanders.

If you watched Sunday’s game between the Washington Commanders and New Orleans, you likely saw arguably the most egregious NFL officiating error of the 2024 season. We say it’s arguable because there are far too many to count across the league.

New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler completed a pass to tight end Foster Moreau at the Washington one-yard line with nine seconds remaining. The clock should’ve kept rolling as Moreau was down in the field of play, and the Saints had no timeouts remaining.

It didn’t, and almost four seconds went off the clock. This allowed Rattler time to get to the line of scrimmage and set his teammates before spiking the ball with three seconds remaining. On the next play, Rattler threw a touchdown pass to Moreau, and the Saints went for the two-point conversion — and win — but missed, preserving a 20-19 win for the Commanders.

During the game and after, social media was angry about the error.

Here are some of those reactions via X.

 

It’s becoming more difficult for the NFL to beat these types of allegations.

Cameron Jordan praises coaching change after Saints’ 8-sack performance

Cameron Jordan commended coach Brian Young for a quick turnaround on the defensive line after the Saints’ 8-sack performance against the Washington Commanders:

The New Orleans Saints had quite the day on the defensive line, as they were generating an immense amount of pressure against the Washington Commanders, and ended the game with a whopping eight sacks for 37 yards. This was one of the best defensive performances we have seen from the Saints front-seven unit in a decent amount of time, and veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan credited their new position coach Brian Young for the improvement we have seen in recent weeks.

Young replaced Todd Grantham as defensive line coach a few weeks back, in the wake of Dennis Allen being dismissed as head coach. Grantham was reassigned to work as a senior assistant but left recently to join Oklahoma State’s staff.

“Just the way he’s able to realize talents and utilize the D-line to the best of its abilities since he’s sort of took over. And you can see the night and day (difference),” Jordan told reporters after the game. “When you have a guy who’s been a D-lineman for 30-plus years, you can see its effects.”

The last two weeks especially, there has been a significantly improved output from the Saints in terms of pass-rush success, and one of the most notable turnarounds has been Chase Young, who ended the day with two sacks after a 12-pressure performance last week.

Young’s biggest issue early in the season was generating pressure but not impacting the opposing quarterbacks with hits or sacks, however as of late that has not been the case, and the Saints have found a way to unlock his potential. Hopefully coach Brian Young will be able to continue this turnaround, and the Saints can find the defensive line success they had in years prior.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Darren Rizzi unsure which QB Saints will start vs. Packers

Darren Rizzi is unsure which quarterback the Saints will start against the Packers next week. It might be Spencer Rattler, but it could be Derek Carr:

The New Orleans Saints could have a couple of options for next week’s starting quarterback against the Green Bay Packers, and head coach Darren Rizzi is not yet sure which one will actually get the nod on Monday night. It might be Spencer Rattler, and Rizzi repeatedly said he isn’t down on Jake Haener after benching him, but it could be Derek Carr.

When speaking to the media after the game, Rizzi was asked about the starting job for next week’s game. This is how he responded.

“I don’t know, we’ve got the extra day. Let’s see where Derek is,” Rizzi began. “Hopefully an extra day helps his hand maybe heal a little more and we’ll kind of see if he’s got function and that kind of stuff. We’ll reevaluate that. Certainly Spencer Rattler just came off a really good second half so we’ll take that into account. I don’t want to make any proclamations yet.”

It certainly seems as if a healthy Carr will still be starter moving forward, but Rattler may have moved ahead of Haener once again if the veteran can’t go.

Haener’s first career start was a nightmare as he went 4-for-10 for 49 yards and an interception in the first half. Rizzi was still complimentary of the young passer, but Rattler’s efforts in the second half did the speaking for him.

The rookie went 10-of-21 for 135 yards and a touchdown. He almost led the team into a comeback when, but they couldn’t convert a two-point try at the end. It’s not that Rattler is playing like a Hall of Fame quarterback, but it is clear who has the most potential of the young passers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

X reacts to Commanders’ 20-19 win over the Saints

Social media wasn’t impressed with the Commanders’ latest win.

The Washington Commanders were in cruise control at halftime of Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. The Commanders led 14-0 after quarterback Jayden Daniels passed for two touchdowns to wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

Things began to shift in New Orleans’ favor in the second half when it turned to rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. While Rattler didn’t do anything special, a trick play touchdown pass from wide receiver Cedrick Wilson to running back Alvin Kamara completely shifted momentum toward the Saints.

Washington’s offense stalled in the second half, and the team often relied on Daniels to bail the unit out with a big pass or run on third down. Daniels sometimes did that, but the Commanders couldn’t get out of their own way. Penalties, curious coaching decisions, and special teams mishaps kept the Saints alive as they slowly chipped away.

Finally, the Saints drove down the field with under two minutes remaining, with a chance to tie the game. Well, the Saints scored a touchdown, but they weren’t interested in a tie. Interim coach Darren Rizzi went for the two-point conversion and the win. Fortunately for the Commanders, New Orleans came up short, and Washington prevailed, 20-19.

The Commanders are now 9-5, but X wasn’t happy with their latest performance. Here’s how social media reacted to Sunday’s game between Washington and New Orleans.

Chris is always positive:

EB from “The Junkies:”

Darren Rizzi agitated with how officials managed end of third quarter

Darren Rizzi had a lot to say after the Washington Commanders were allowed to attempt a kick after the clock hit zero:

The New Orleans Saints-Washington Commanders game had a few calls made by officials that ultimately impacted the final score, and one such play was at the end of the third quarter. The Commanders were allowed to kick a field goal as the time on the clock was run out to zero seconds, this kick was missed, and then the officials called the quarter off and the play dead, allowing for a retry at the start of the fourth quarter.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi had a lot to say about this decision and what he was told by the officials.

“Yeah it got totally mismanaged, so, y’know (Washington) had the diving catch, I didn’t agree with it at all, the way it was done,” Rizzi began. “So we had the diving catch, I wasn’t sure, I had the challenge flag in my hand, and I was talking to the sideline official and I’m looking at the clock and we’re discussing on the headset about, y’know, ‘Hey the quarter’s gonna end here, they’re gonna take the quarter.'”

Rizzi continued: “And I got the challenge flag in my hand trying to figure out and communicate with up top whether or not we’re gonna challenge the catch or not. And I’m talking to the official and I’m saying to him, ‘Hey I might challenge this, I might challenge this, hey the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over,’ for about four or five seconds. They let they play go, he misses the field goal.”

What happened next shocked him. Rizzi could only protest the do-over and watch as referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew let the Commanders try another kick after missing the first try.

“So whoever’s in charge of shutting the play down, they obviously let the play go on. And so the explanation I got is it’s a replay-assist situation, the play shouldn’t have been run because the clocks were at zero, the clocks were at zero, their clocks were definitely at zero, the quarter was over. But the officials missed that, and that’s why the play was allowed to go on. That’s where my gripe is: The play should not have been allowed to go on, they gave the field goal kicker basically a freebie, they gave him the mis-hit, and so …” Rizzi trailed off.

It was something he’d never seen before in decades of coaching. And that led Rizzi to level some strong criticism at the officiating crew for how they handled the situation.

“I’ve been coaching kickers for 30 years. You give a guy a warmup shot, he’s got a pretty good shot of making the second one. The success rate goes through the roof when the guy gets a second chance, so that’s where my gripe was, is that it was a management,” Rizzi said, pausing for breath, “Game management from the officials, operations, I’ll let the league handle it, but I hope that everybody else gets held accountable in this league. I hope that the people that mismanaged that get held accountable too because it was completely mishandled.”

Ultimately the Saints would go on to lose 20-19, and this was a critical point in the game as neither team particularly scored well at one point or another, so any points were hard to come by for both sides. Rizzi clearly was upset with the decision, and we will see what happens when the review comes in regarding what calls could have been made or not made.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Jayden Daniels enjoyed his return to the Caesars Superdome in Week 15 win

Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels drew a pointed comparison between his first game at the Caesars Superdome and his return in Week 15:

It doesn’t matter if you spend just one year in Louisiana or twenty four — the Caesars Superdome is one of the most storied venues in the history of American football, and anyone who’s worn cleats and a helmet knows the arena has a different atmosphere. And that goes for former LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, too.

Daniels returned to the Superdome on Sunday and led the Washington Commanders to a win over the New Orleans Saints on their home turf. It was a close one, too, at 20-19. And that tight margin meant something special to Daniels.

“My first game in the Dome, we lost by one point,” Daniels told reporters after the game, recalling his Tigers’ 24-23 loss to Florida State back in the 2022 season opener. “So it feels good to win by one point.”

It didn’t seem to matter how many times the Saints sacked Daniels (five times in the first half, and eight in total); he just kept bouncing back up and threading passes into tight windows while scrambling to make plays with his legs. The Commanders got their quarterback in this year’s NFL draft.

Maybe the Saints can find theirs next year. Spencer Rattler had some nice flashes in a second-half rally, but he isn’t on the same level as Daniels just yet. Neither is Jake Haener. Derek Carr’s best days are behind him at this point too. We’ll see if the Saints can finally draft a quarterback who can lead them to success next April, but in the meantime they’ve got to find a way to get some positivity going through the last three weeks of their season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

The Saints ruined potential comeback vs. the Commanders by calling the worst play in football

The Saints ran an unbelievably stupid play with the game on the line.

On Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Saints almost pulled off an amazing, unlikely comeback against the Washington Commanders. Led by Spencer Rattler’s late-game heroics, New Orleans drove down the field in less than two minutes at the end of the game, getting a late touchdown to tight end Foster Moreau to make it 20-19.

Interim Saints head coach Darren Rizzi made the bold call to go for two and the win. That’s admirable. We love to see it. New Orleans had nothing to lose. Except the Saints called the worst possible play at any level of football — a half-field speed out at the goal line — to get it.

It should surprise no one that the Commanders defended the sequence well and preserved their win rather easily.

I don’t understand the logic of a professional offensive coordinator thinking this was a good plan in that situation.

Why divide and ignore half the field as an offense? Why jumble all your receivers in one place, making it easier for the defense to cover their routes? Why not spread everyone out, giving yourself as many options as possible for one of your playmakers to get open for the win?

It boggles the mind. This sequence describes the Saints’ miserable season to a tee.