The New Orleans Saints have not been able to find much consistency on offense this season, and it continued against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. That led head coach Kellen Moore to bench Spencer Rattler for rookie Tyler Shough, but they still lost 23-3.
After the game, Moore was asked about the starting quarterback position, and he didn't commit at the time.
“We're just not executing and playing at a high enough standard, and we've got to find a way to move the football consistently, protect the football and score points,” Moore said via Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “And so, this is a pure full offensive evaluation point. … I think we just got to evaluate this whole thing in the next 48 hours, find the solutions that give us the best chance to win.”
Moore echoed those statements the day after the game, and it seems like he'll be making a decision going into their next week against the Los Angeles Rams, according to reporter Mike Triplett.
“No decision on Saints QB for this week yet. Kellen Moore said ‘We just got done closing the book on this Tampa Bay game. We’ll now start beginning soon our plan for the Rams,'” Triplett wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Rattler has struggled the past few games, as he's turned the ball over four times against the Chicago Bears and twice against the Buccaneers in the first half. He has also been sacked seven times in his past six quarters of playing. Shough came in during the second half of the Buccaneers game, but didn't have any knowledge of it until Moore informed him.
“It was just in the moment. … Told me to get ready to go. That was it,” Shough said.
Now, all eyes will be on the Saints' practice this week to see who will get the most first-team reps between Rattler and Shough, which most likely determines who the starter will be moving forward.
