GREEN BAY, Wis. — In a disappointing showcase on national television, rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler of the New Orleans Saints struggled to make an impact due to a lack of supporting players around him. Just one week after leading his team on four consecutive scoring drives in a narrow 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders, the fifth-round draft pick from South Carolina had a rough outing as the Saints faced a shutout against the Green Bay Packers, who dominated with a 34-0 victory, marking the first shutout of the NFL season.
With this loss, New Orleans fell to a 5-10 record, suffering their first shutout since a 13-0 defeat against the San Francisco 49ers on November 27, 2022. Rattler expressed his disappointment in the performance, stating, “Embarrassing loss. I put it on myself. I played not good at all, in my opinion. Just didn’t have any answers. Got to go make more plays, protect the ball. Just got to be better.”
This marked the fourth game of Rattler’s rookie season, and unfortunately for him and the Saints, each game has resulted in losses by no fewer than 18 points. Although he displayed potential in his last outing by stepping in for an ineffective Jake Haener and nearly sparking a comeback against the Commanders, Rattler’s performance against the Packers was less effective. He completed 15 of 30 passes for 153 yards, along with an interception and a fumble.
The Saints faced significant challenges as they were missing key players, including five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara due to a groin injury and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was dealing with chest and illness issues. Additionally, the team has been without wide receivers Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave for several weeks because of knee and head injuries, respectively, along with tight end Taysom Hill. The situation worsened during the game when center Erik McCoy exited with an elbow injury. However, Rattler did not use these challenges as an excuse, maintaining, “Our expectation is to try and get it done with anybody. Throughout the week, I’m confident in my guys always.”
Facing off against a Green Bay defense that was also missing four starters, including linebacker Quay Walker and cornerback Jaire Alexander, Rattler and the Saints were unable to find momentum. They were held scoreless in the first half for the second consecutive game, the first time the Saints experienced this in back-to-back matchups since 1997. In the opening series, Rattler missed a pivotal opportunity to connect with Kevin Austin on a third-and-7 play from the Green Bay 40-yard line. The offense opted to punt after a false-start penalty forced them back.
With a 21-0 deficit already in place, Rattler managed to bring the Saints within striking distance of the Green Bay 30-yard line late in the second quarter, only for that drive to end when Keisean Nixon sacked him, resulting in a fumble recovered by Rashan Gary. An additional opportunity to score ended unsuccessfully as Devonte Wyatt sacked Rattler, pushing them out of field goal range. A clock management error resulted in a lapse of roughly 24 seconds after Austin recovered a fumble, preventing a timely timeout that could have allowed for a potential scoring play.
Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi acknowledged the mixed performance, stating, “You saw some flash plays. I thought he made a couple of really good plays, but then we made a couple of really bad decisions. But, like I said, we didn’t help him much. I think it was an overall team situation. We dropped some passes.”
In the third quarter, with the Saints down 24-0, Rattler pushed them into another scoring position but was intercepted by Zayne Anderson, dashing their hopes of scoring. Reflecting on the defeat, Rattler succinctly summarized the team’s performance: “We got outplayed. We got punched in the mouth.”
