Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints were able to pull off a second-half comeback to end Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a tie. The Saints rotated starting quarterbacks, giving rookie Tyler Shough the start, with Spencer Rattler coming in to start the second half. There were plenty of ups and downs in the tie, but these Saints stood out.
Spencer Rattler had a strong showing on Sunday, ending the day completing 18/24 of his pass attempts for 199 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Rattler was decisive and comfortable in the pocket. The second-year quarterback also made plays on his feet, rushing for 19 yards on three attempts and calling his number on the game-tying two-point conversion.
The Saints quarterback competition is becoming impossible to call. Many believed Tyler Shough took the lead for the QB1 job against the Los Angeles Chargers after having a strong performance, but Rattler would respond with what could be considered the best performance of a Saints’ quarterback through two weeks. Rattler has reportedly had the strongest training camp, and the team was waiting to see it translate to in-game action.
The second-year signal caller has shown both the poise to run the offense and the ability to respond. Rattler threw an interception in the red zone while trying to hit wide receiver Mason Tipton on a slant, but Tipton would stop short of the route, and the ball would go the other way. Similar to how head coach Kellen Moore allowed Shough to respond to his interception against the Chargers, Moore gave Rattler the chance to make up for his mistake rather than sending Jake Haener on the field for the final drive. The 2024 fifth-round pick came in and led the offense 82 yards and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis to tie the game.
Shough and Rattler both have nearly identical stats through two weeks of preseason. With Rattler’s strong performance against Jacksonville, he is very much in contention to win the starting job.
The Saints’ wide receiver room had quickly become one of the biggest question marks for the team heading into the 2025 season. Outside of the signing of veteran Brandin Cooks, New Orleans hasn’t made much progress to add to their receiver room despite having a need.
Second-year wide receiver Mason Tipton has been a buzzing name throughout training camp. At 5-foot-11, Tipton continues the trend for Saints receivers under 6-foot with blazing speed. The second-year wideout had a solid showing in the team’s week 1 preseason matchup, catching a 54-yard touchdown bomb from quarterback Tyler Shough. Tipton only continued his strong showing on Sunday, finishing with 6 receptions for 100 yards, including a big 45-yard reception in one-on-one coverage.
Tipton has quickly become a lock to make the final 53-man roster and will hopefully have a role in the Saints offense going forwards.
Rookie safety Jonas Sanker made the game sealing interception against the...
