The New Orleans Saints now sit at 2-5 following yet another tough NFC loss. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply made many more second half adjustments. That being said, New Orleans saw a lot of positives from rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Rattler's first NFL performance
Rattler looked composed, confident, and decisive in his first pro start. It started on his very first play, too.
Were there bumps in the road? Absolutely. He threw two interceptions. He missed don a couple of third down throws. That being said, the young QB was the least of New Orleans' worries in the embarrassing loss.
The rookie even took blame for the sacks, caused by Tampa's pressure. Keep in mind that New Orleans is trotting out an offensive line with just two starters on it, currently. They totaled five on the young QB.
That's another sign of professionalism by Rattler.
Who is to blame for the Saints
Dennis Allen's defense
The defense is Allen's responsibility. They embarrassed themselves for nearly three quarters of this game. Injuries certainly played a massive role, considering New Orleans lost two key starters in the secondary.
That being said, there is no excuse to allow a team to run the ball at the level that Tampa did in the second half. The tackling was inexcusable from the Saints, and they were simply beat in nearly every opportunity.
Tampa Bay's 594 yards of total offense is the franchise's second-most ever given up by the Saints. There is too much talent on the unit for that to occur anytime in 2024. Plain and simple.
Sean Tucker, the backup running back for the Bucs, had a career day. He entered the game with seven rushing yards this season. He averaged 9.7 yards per carry against New Orleans and totaled 136 yards on the ground.
Allen's top responsibility is the defensive side of the ball. It's why the Saints hired him as their head coach when they moved on from Sean Payton. Allen said that the tackling was atrocious from New Orleans. He's correct, 100%.
"Thoroughly disappointed in the game. It was not acceptable. It wasn't good enough."
"We got to play better than we did today." -- Allen
His unit was the biggest issue in a game where the offense started a rookie quarterback and lost their top receiver just minutes into the first quarter.
Rattler's first start was an impressive performance during some moments. In other instances, he looked like a rookie against a talented defense with a good play-caller.
That's really all you could ask for if you are fan or a coach for the Saints.
For New Orleans, they've gotta reconcile and step up quite swiftly. The Denver Broncos and Sean Payton are their next foe, in a game that will mean plenty extra to the former Saints head coach.
Plus, it comes on Thursday night in Week 7. The Saints won't have much time to get healthier or lick their wounds after taking quite a beating from Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay.
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