The New Orleans Saints lost their fourth straight game on Sunday, falling to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers 51-27. The game saw the debut of rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round pick out of the University of South Carolina who fans were eager to see lead the offense.   

For the most part, Rattler delivered.  

He wasn’t in the easiest spot at all, with pretty much their entire first-team offensive line ruled out prior to the game. Not to mention, top receiver Chris Olave was taken out almost immediately through a hard hit that led to a fumble and a touchdown for the Tampa Bay defense. Later in the game, the next receiver up, Rashid Shaheed, went down with a knee injury that could put his future availability in question. Safe to say Rattler was in a spot that no first-year quarterback should ever be in.  

He didn’t have a perfect game. He finished with a passer rating of 60.7, below average, threw 18 incompletions, including some easy throws that I’m sure he would love to have back, got sacked five times and threw two interceptions. Now, not all interceptions are created equal. The first was a great play by Zyon McColum, who jumped the route to make the play. The second was a straight-up terrible throw by Rattler, as it fell right into the hands of Tykee Smith.  

Let’s look at the positives since we still have a long season to go. Rattler can move. No longer do we have to watch the sad backfoot heaves from Carr seconds before he gets hit — these often are free interceptions; go back to the first drive against the Kansas City Chiefs. Rattler can easily escape pressure and make something happen, whether it is throwing the ball away or even rushing for some yards, as he had 27 yards on the ground. He’s also got clear command over the field, spreading the ball around to nine different pass catchers throughout the game, two of whom got hurt midway through.  

Most importantly for me, though, as both a recently converted Saints fan and an NFL fan in general, he is exciting. It’s been a while since I can say the Saints offense has had a quarterback that gets fans out of their seats; the last time it happened was the pre-injury Jameis Winston days. Even the final years of Drew Brees, while great seasons, didn’t consist of thrilling quarterback play, as Brees rarely threw downfield. If Rattler can limit his mistakes, his style of play can make him a must-watch quarterback in the NFL for the years to come.  

The baffling part of this game was the Saints defense, who, despite forcing three interceptions, allowed 594 total yards to the Tampa Bay offense. The run defense especially looked slow, giving up 7.9 yards per attempt. With the defense largely falling under the responsibility of head coach Dennis Allen, an already hot head coaching seat can get even hotter with a few more losses. After all, we just saw Robert Saleh get fired midseason by the New York Jets.  

The Saints hope to reverse course on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos. The game will be highlighted by Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans to face his former defensive coordinator, as well as honor the great Drew Brees, who will be put in the Saints Hall of Fame. The game will be broadcast on Prime Video at 7:15 p.m. CST.