The Saints are turning to the rookie with starting quarterback Derek Carr injured.
New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen told reporters on Wednesday that Spencer Rattler will start on Sunday when the Saints host the Buccaneers.
“We talked a lot as a staff on what we felt was the best thing for us to give us the best chance to win the game,” Allen said, according to Fox Sports. “That was the decision that we made. We’re excited about him getting the opportunity to go in there and let him go play and see what he can do.”
Carr suffered a strained oblique during Monday night’s loss to the Chiefs and is currently considered week-to-week.
Quarterback Jake Haener came in to replace Carr in the Monday night game and the second-year QB completed two of his seven pass attempts for 17 yards and rushed for another 11 yards.
“It wasn’t even the hit, honestly. It was just when I dropped back and torqued to throw … I asked if there was anything we could do about it and there was not enough time,” Carr said about the injury after the game with the Chiefs.
Rattler was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of this year’s draft and has not made his NFL debut yet this season.
He did make three preseason appearances completing 20 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown.
Carr is expected to miss multiple weeks due to the injury, according to NFL Network, which means Rattler could be in the starter job for the time being.
The Saints’ schedule gets a bit congested over the next two weeks with the the team slated to play two games over a five-day span.
New Orleans will take on the Buccaneers on Sunday and then play their Week 7 matchup on “Thursday Night Football” on Oct. 17 against the Broncos.
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