The New Orleans Saints have one of the hardest quarterback competitions to call in the entire NFL this preseason. With just one more tune-up to go, it's still impossible to call the battle between Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough.

Rattler got the start in the Saints' first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers, while Shough took the first reps on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In truth, both players have been up and down so far in the preseason and that has led to some rocky results for Kellen Moore's offense.

After dropping the first preseason game in a blowout against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Saints and Jags finished in a tie at 17 on Sunday. Rattler was solid for the most part, with the exception of an ugly interception while targeting Mason Tipton. Both players regretted the mistake after the game, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.

“Rattler said he and Tipton weren’t on the same page for the INT and both were sick about it, said Tipton bounced back immediately,” Terrell reported on X, formerly Twitter.

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Tipton, who appeared to slow down on his slant route causing the interception, took the blame for the play after the game and Moore said that the Saints probably ran that concept — a simple slant-flat read — too many times during the game. Still, Rattler knows that he cannot put the ball in harm's way like he did on that play.

Despite the mistake, which did come down in the red zone, Rattler put together a solid stat line on Sunday. He finished the game 18-of-24 passing with 199 yards and a touchdown to go along with the pick and was not sacked. On the other hand, Shough completed 9-of-12 passes for 66 yards after getting the start.

Rattler has some starting experience in the NFL after getting some action last season as a rookie following the injury to Derek Carr, but that doesn't mean that his job is safe under a new staff in New Orleans. However, it's still very likely that both he and Shough get chances to start during the 2025 season as they battle to be the franchise quarterback in the Big Easy.

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