Underwhelming can be a becoming phrase to explain the play of Saints quarterbacks Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler throughout the crew’s preseason opener in opposition to the Chargers on Sunday.
Rattler began the sport, went 7 of 11 for 53 yards and was sacked thrice. Shough, a 25-year-old rookie, was higher however not essentially nice himself, going 15 of twenty-two for 165 yards in an outing that included a pick-six that was shortly adopted up by a protracted landing cross. Shough was additionally sacked twice within the 27-13 loss.
The Saints began the sport with Rattler, a 2024 fifth-round decide who went 0-6 as New Orleans’ starter final season. He was unable to engineer a scoring drive throughout his 5 sequence of labor, though he and the Saints have been in a position to get to the Chargers’ 1-yard-line on their second drive earlier than being turned over on downs.
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Tyler Sullivan
Rattler additionally committed the game’s first fumble firstly of the second quarter after he was sacked by Chargers linebacker Caleb Murphy. The turnover arrange a Chargers discipline objective. Rattler bought yet another sequence of labor earlier than giving approach to Shough, the third quarterback chosen on this 12 months’s draft.
Shough bought off to a superb begin as he hit wideout Kevin Austin Jr. for a nine-yard acquire on his first cross try. He went 5 of 8 on the drive whereas main the Saints to their first rating of the sport, a 31-yard discipline objective by Blake Grupe, earlier than the top of the primary half.
However after a three-and-out on the Saints’ ensuing drive, Shough made an enormous mistake when he sailed a cross to the sideline that was picked off by Chargers cornerback Eric Rogers and returned 43 yards for a rating.
Shough shortly rebounded from the turnover. On the following possession, Shough — aided by a stellar block by working again Clyde Edwards-Helaire — hit a large open Mason Tipton downfield for a 54-yard landing.
Shough would go 5 of 6 on the Saints’ subsequent two possessions, however was unable to guide New Orleans to a rating on both drive. A sack short-circuited the primary drive, whereas two brief completions failed to choose up the required yards for a primary down on the second drive. Shough was then changed by Jake Haener, who went 5 of 8 for 41 yards and an interception on the Saints’ closing two offensive possessions.
Relating to Shough, there have been some positives to take from Sunday’s sport. He was largely correct, displayed the flexibility to finish some passes downfield and confirmed some resilience after his pick-six. Shough flashed a number of the potential that led to the Saints to focus on him within the second spherical forward of different quarterbacks like Jalen Milroe, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Rattler, who said last week he is been the “greatest quarterback on the sector,” did not play properly. Shough performed OK in opposition to backups who weren’t doing a lot from a schematic standpoint. With the common season lower than a month away, Shough could also be the best choice for a Saints quarterback scenario that appears relatively bleak getting into 12 months 1 beneath coach Kellen Moore.