Saints to Start QB Rattler – Rattler is getting ready to be in the line of fire. The Green Bay Packers (10-4) are in third place in their stacked division, NFC North, and will face an inexperienced rookie quarterback at Lambeau Field, which is one of the toughest places to play for a young player, on a huge stage, “Monday Night Football.” The New Orleans Saints named Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round pick out of South Carolina, as the starting quarterback in Week 16 on Wednesday.
Rattler, who previously started three games this season, came off the bench cold and almost led the Saints to a comeback win over Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders last Sunday. He will make his fourth NFL start on Monday night at 8:15 ET against the Packers.
“He’s a natural thrower. He can move in the pocket. He’s fearless. I think he’s a really talented young player,” coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday.
The Saints are 0-3 in Rattler’s trio of starts this season. He has completed 57.5 percent of his passes, averaged 5.9 yards per attempt and thrown two touchdown passes and two picks, for a passer rating of 73.1. The rookie has shown off his ability to extend plays and use his legs, running nine times for 61 yards and three first downs.
Rattler led the Saints on three scoring drives, including a touchdown as time expired, as New Orleans rallied from significant deficits of 17-0 and 20-7. The Saints were unable to convert on a two-point attempt with no time remaining and lost by the slimmest of margins in gut wrenching fashion, 20-19. Rattler completed 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions against the Commanders.
Rattler, who went to high school in Arizona and played college ball at the University of Oklahoma and for the Gamecocks, will have to deal with inclement weather such as the cold and potential snow in Green Bay on Monday, something he not accustomed to.
Some people could be scratching their heads saying why the move now. Here is some insight from Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler:
“Starting Spencer Rattler is a no-brainer after he led a valiant comeback effort last week on spot duty. He looks to have made some strides reacting to pressure and keeping the ball out of danger after a rough couple of starts early this season. The Saints’ season isn’t over, but it is at a point where it’s worth seeing if he can cut the mustard before a new coaching staff takes over in the spring.”
Rattler replaced Jake Haener under center last week. Starting quarterback Derek Carr is battling a left hand injury and could miss the rest of the season.
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Chiefs Mahomes Cleared to Start Against Texans – Do not ever underestimate the heart of a champion. All eyes in Kansas City and the ‘Show Me State’ as a whole, have been on Patrick Mahomes’ left ankle over the past four days and after a couple of days of practice, it looks like coach Andy Reid has seen enough to convince him that his star quarterback will be ready to ready to take the field on Saturday afternoon.
During a news conference on Thursday, Reid said that Mahomes will “most likely” be the starter when the Chiefs face PJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. However, Reid did also offer one little wrinkle: He still wants to make sure that Mahomes will be mobile enough to protect himself and stay out of harm’s way. Mahomes was a full participant in practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but both sessions were considered light, nearly a walk through, so it was hard to gauge and pinpoint how far the ankle had improved.
Reid wants to see how things progress on Thursday before coming to a final decision.
“He moved around pretty good,” Reid said of how his star quarterback has looked at practice this week. “You’re always looking to make sure they can get out of the way to not allow any further harm to them, so that’s what I look at.”
Mahomes admitted Tuesday that if his ankle was still sore and giving him trouble come Saturday, he most likely would not risk it since it is not a postseason game.
“I wouldn’t say it’s dire that I play,” Mahomes said, on ESPN.com. “It’s not in the AFC Championship Game where we’re playing to get to the Super Bowl. We have a little bit of room to kind of spare, but at the end of the day, we’re trying to win.”
The three-time Super Bowl winner also agreed with Reid’s sentiments by pointing out that if he cannot move around the pocket due to his ankle, then it might not be wise for him to play.
“Obviously, it’s football and you’re going to take hits, but you want to be able to protect yourself,” Mahomes said. “So that’ll be where I’m at and I don’t want to limit the game plan. That’s another thing for me is I want to be able to move around the pocket so we’re not just sitting in one spot the whole entire game and letting their D-line really get after it. It’s about me finding that balance and seeing where I’m at.”
At this stage of the game, as long as Mahomes and Reid feel comfortable that the quarterback can move around the pocket, it is pretty clear that Mahomes will be the starter.
If Mahomes cannot go or if he aggravates the injury during the game, then backup Carson Wentz, who has plenty of experience starting in his own right will be the next man up.
“If I feel like I can play and go out there and win a football game, I’ll play,” Mahomes said. “And if I don’t feel like that’s the best-case scenario, I’ll let guys like Carson play.”
With the way the schedule is set up, Mahomes is not going to have a lot of time to heal. Not only will the Chiefs be on a compacted week with the Saturday game against Houston coming up in Week 16, but they also have to turn around and play four days later with a Wednesday game on Christmas against Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even if Mahomes grinds it out and plays in both of those games, he could be favoring that ankle. And if he has to miss any time, that would be a huge blow for a Chiefs team that is trying to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. The Chiefs can clinch the No. 1 overall seed by going 2-1 over their final three games, so if Mahomes does have to sit this week or in Week 17, the Chiefs would still be in a position to earn the top seed in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos.
