Spencer Rattler’s tough second half dampens an otherwise promising first start for the Saints | National sport

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — There were moments when rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler convinced a boisterous Superdome crowd that he could lead the New Orleans Saints to their biggest comeback victory since 2009.

Then he and the saints were shaken, shaken and rolled.

Rattler, a fifth-round draft pick making his NFL debut in place of the injured Derek Carr (oblique), threw two interceptions and was sacked five times in the second half on Sunday as a three-point lead turned into a 51-point lead :27 equalizer turned defeat against NFC South rival Tampa Bay.

New Orleans, which scored 20 points in a span of 5:06 in the second quarter to erase a 17-0 deficit, was shut out after halftime.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a few times, made a few mistakes, starting with myself,” Rattler said. “I had to play better in the second half, but we fought, we fought and we will learn from it and get better.”

Rattler, inactive for the first five games behind Carr and second-year quarterback Jake Haener, hurt the Bucs early with a series of planned rollouts. He went 22 of 40 for 243 yards, but was just 11 of 23 for 103 yards after halftime.

All five of the Bucs’ sacks came in the second half.

“We got the edge more with our outside hitters instead of trying to drop them,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said sadly. “We knew that if we could cut him off in the pocket and just keep him as a pocket passer, we would have a chance to put a little pressure on him.”

Rattler was sacked twice in a row after the Saints took over at midfield following a Tampa Bay punt in the third quarter, which led to Chris Godwin’s catch-and-run for a 55-yard score and the Bucs’ 31 :27 took the lead for good.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, cornerback Zyon McCollum intercepted Rattler’s deep pass intended for receiver Rashid Shaheed at the Tampa Bay 42, resulting in a sure touchdown.

When safety Tykee Smith intercepted another underthrow pass, it ended a five-game streak in which the Saints had just one first down and two turnovers.

“They definitely had a good plan in the second half, but it came down to execution,” Rattler said. “It was about what we could have done better and what I could have done better.”

Rattler, along with star running back Alvin Kamara, received one of the loudest screams during the pregame introductions. The former Oklahoma and South Carolina QB drew even more cheers when he completed his first pass for 27 yards.

His next throw was also on target, but Smith stole the ball from Chris Olave and Antoine Winfield Jr. returned the fumble 58 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead for Tampa Bay. Olave also suffered a concussion from a helmet-to-helmet hit from McCollum during the game, leaving the Saints without their top wide receiver.

“It’s unfortunate to see the top player go down early in the game,” Rattler said of Olave. “We really wanted to include him in this game.”

Rattler responded well to early adversity. He hit a 40-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-3. He threw a strike to Bub Means in the corner of the end zone, marking his first career scoring throw and Means’ first career touchdown. That gave the Saints their first lead at 20:17. He hit tight end Foster Moreau for 41 yards to set up Alvin Kamara’s 4-yard touchdown run with 2:47 before halftime, giving the Saints their final lead of the game.

While Rattler struggled, New Orleans gave up 594 yards — 11 fewer than the franchise record set against Minnesota in 2004 — and was outrebounded 277-81.

“I don’t think we did enough around him to help him,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said of Rattler, before adding that he intends to start the rookie QB again on Thursday against Denver bring. “It was difficult for us to keep up. They did some things really well early in the game, but as the second half went on they started to put a little more pressure on him.”

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