A rough night in Inglewood
The New Orleans Saints were shut out for the first time in the preseason since 2000, falling 34-0 to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. The loss dropped the Saints to 0-2 in exhibition play and left head coach Kellen Moore searching for answers after a performance he described as a "big-time missed opportunity."
Moore, who entered the game with a plan to evaluate his backup quarterbacks, saw neither Zach Wilson nor Spencer Rattler seize the moment. Wilson started the first half, with Rattler taking over after halftime — a switch from the usual order, as reported by the Baton Rouge Advocate.
Quarterback struggles
Wilson, the former second overall pick who signed with the Saints in the offseason, completed 6 of 12 passes for 55 yards and an interception in the first half. His pick came at the Rams' 49-yard line when he threw inside while wide receiver Bub Means cut outside — a miscommunication, according to the Advocate. He also missed a fourth-and-2 pass that was knocked out of Kevin Austin's hands and squandered a two-minute drill before halftime.
Rattler, who played the second half, completed 14 of 23 passes for 141 yards but was also intercepted once. His turnover proved costly: a pass intended for Treyton Welch was picked off by safety Alex Cook in the end zone and returned 100 yards for a touchdown. The Advocate noted that Rattler drove the Saints to the Rams' six-yard line before the interception. Rattler's final series ended with Tanner Brown missing a 39-yard field goal.
NBC Sports framed Rattler's performance as a "disastrous" outing, while the Advocate described both quarterbacks as having "underwhelmed." Wilson's stat line was nearly identical to his preseason opener, when he completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars. Rattler, meanwhile, had thrown for just 42 yards and lost a fumble in that game.
Moore's blunt assessment
Moore didn't mince words after the loss, which saw the Saints commit three turnovers, two inside the Rams' 10-yard line, and go 0-for-3 in the red zone. The team was also flagged 12 times for 96 yards.
"Regular season, pre-season, does not matter," Moore said in his postgame press conference. "Those ones aren't the ones you want. That was a big-time missed opportunity for us."
He attributed the penalties to a "lack of discipline, lack of detail." On the quarterbacks, he said, "We want to accomplish more." And he offered a broader lesson: "Film is your resume in this league."
Moore also noted the Saints had a week of joint practices with the Cowboys and the Rams, making the poor result all the more frustrating.
What's next
The backup quarterback competition remains unresolved. Wilson and Rattler are battling for the No. 2 job behind Tyler Shough, who — along with the normal starters — sat out Saturday's game. For most of training camp, Rattler had been taking reps over Wilson, but Wilson rotated in with the second team on Thursday, a sign that Moore was contemplating a change.
Both quarterbacks are likely to see more work in the preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys, as NBC Sports noted. The Advocate's reporting suggests the job is still very much up for grabs.