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Spencer Rattler caught heat as the Saints quarterback struggled to produce on offense against the Broncos, leading to a dispiriting 33-10 loss. When he left the field in the fourth quarter, the scoreboard was even more lopsided and read 33-3 in favor of Denver. But his reliever, Jake Haener, came in and threw New Orleans' only touchdown pass of the game to give the final score a bit more respectability.
NFL fans were quick to admonish the rookie quarterback for his performance. They compared him to his backup who did better in one drive than he could during the whole game. They also evaluated his performance against Bo Nix, another who was playing for the Broncos on the opposite side of the ball and led his team to a win. Here are some of the reactions from X/Twitter.
While the above comments were not pretty, what was more damning was when Rattler was compared to his compatriots. Here are some more responses.
"Jake Haener>Spencer Rattler" - said one commenter
"You know who's better than Spencer Rattler? Jake Haener." - concurred another
"Bo Nix >>>>> Spencer Rattler it's not close tbh" - a fan added
Broncos defeated Saints but did Bo Nix play that much better than Spencer Rattler?
Given how comprehensively the Broncos dismantled the Saints, one would assume that Bo Nix was much better than Spencer Rattler. But anyone who saw the game would have seen two rookie quarterbacks still getting their feet in the NFL.
Nix was good at identifying scrambling opportunities to extend play and get first downs. However, he did not throw a touchdown pass and had just 164 passing yards for the night. He finished with a passer rating of 79.6.
Rattler, on the other hand, had 172 passing yards and finished with a higher rating of 82.1. He did not throw an interception either but gave up a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
On the whole, the quarterback who was taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft did not do markedly better than his compatriot who was taken in the fifth. Rattler at least has the excuse that he has been brought in to start without getting sufficient reps with his teammates only because Derek Carr and Taysom Hill are both out injured.
On the other hand, Nix was named the starter from the first game of the season and still showed his callowness today. There were a couple of instances in the first half where a promising drive stalled and the Broncos had to settle for a field goal or a punt because the rookie failed to find open receivers despite his offensive line dominating against the Saints' defense and giving him enough time to throw.
Given Jake Haener's performance, it is unknown if Spencer Rattler will see the field again even if Carr and Hill remain sidelined. However, Bo Nix will have to carry on as the Broncos starter and he will not find many teams as accommodating and injury-ravaged as New Orleans was today.
