Two takeaways following New Orleans’ Week 16 loss to Green Bay.
The New Orleans Saints were humiliated by the Green Bay Packers on national television as they suffered the first shutout of the 2024 NFL season in a 34-0 blowout.
Let’s discuss two takeaways from the Saints’ Week 16 loss to the Packers:
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It’s time for a change.
Monday night’s performance in Lambeau was one of the worst you’ll see in this league, and it all but solidifies that a fresh perspective should be the Saints’ top priority during this off-season’s head coach search.
Despite the amount of respect folks have for Rizzi within the building and the level of control he has over the locker room, there have been two glaring issues during his six-game audition so far: inefficient substitutions and poor clock management.
Once Rizzi took over for Dennis Allen following the Saints’ Week 9 defeat to the Carolina Panthers, he emphasized cleaning up substitutions and not having to burn as many timeouts. However, this has remained a struggle for Rizzi and the Saints. He admitted that substitution issues caused New Orleans to burn a timeout in each half during Week 13’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Against the Packers, the Saints wasted over 20 seconds during their 2-minute drill to close out the first half due to a misunderstanding when Kevin Austin Jr. fumbled out of bounds and the game clock continued to run. Mistakes like this have been recurring throughout Rizzi’s brief tenure as interim head coach and can completely alter the outcome of a football game. In fact, it’s been an issue for the Saints all season.
That’s not to say Rizzi hasn’t impressed during this six-game stretch given the depleted roster and situation he’s been dealt as a first-time head coach. But ultimately, an outside voice with a modern approach seems like the best option moving forward and could really benefit the team.
My top three candidates: Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson, Lions DC Aaron Glenn, and former Tennessee Titans HC and 2021 NFL Coach of the Year, Mike Vrabel, who is currently a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns. Reports indicate that both Glenn and Vrabel will be high on the Saints’ radar when they begin their search for the team’s next head coach. Glenn served as the Saints’ defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020 and spent a season in New Orleans as a cornerback in 2008.
Who is your preferred candidate?
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Swing until you hit.
Spencer Rattler’s fourth professional start didn’t go as planned. The rookie completed 15 of his 30 pass attempts for 153 yards, with one interception, a lost fumble, and three sacks taken in the process. That said, I’d still say Rattler made some fairly impressive throws given the freezing cold playing conditions.
It’s unfair to thoroughly evaluate Rattler given the supporting cast he’s been tasked with, especially considering this was supposed to be his first start behind a fully healthy offensive line—only for star C Erik McCoy to be ruled out with an elbow injury (not expected to be serious) and starting LG Lucas Patrick to go down with a knee injury, likely ending his season. Rattler’s favorite target, rookie WR Bub Means, also faced a setback in his recovery from a high ankle sprain while preparing for Monday night’s game in Green Bay, which will likely revert him back to injured reserve and end his season as well—an unfortunate turn of events for Rattler, who’s already missing the majority of his weapons. Hopefully, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling can return from the chest injury and illness that kept him off the field against the team that drafted him, providing a deep threat for Rattler as he looks to let loose against the 3-12 Las Vegas Raiders (should Derek Carr be unable to suit up for his revenge game).
Either way, whether you believe Rattler can be the long-term solution or not, the Saints need to keep taking chances on quarterbacks in the draft until they find the answer. It’s important to be patient with rookie QBs, giving them the time and experience to develop and learn from their mistakes—because it’s rare to find someone who comes in and completely saves a franchise like CJ Stroud did with the Houston Texans or Jayden Daniels with the Washington Commanders. At the same time, the Saints can’t afford to hold themselves back by passing on potential future stars due to concerns over immediate readiness.
While I personally believe Rattler can be a starting quarterback in this league, he’s a fifth-round pick, and it wouldn’t hurt to bring in a rookie to compete with him and Carr this offseason. You won’t find your franchise savior if you don’t take chances on raw talent. Molding promising prospects into players who best fit your scheme has proven to work in various cases, as Saints fans saw firsthand when Jordan Love and the Packers dropped 34 points on the New Orleans defense this past week.
Green Bay did a phenomenal job molding Love into an Aaron Rodgers-esque gunslinger, and though Rodgers contributed as a mentor, it still shows why those risks are worth taking. If you see something in a player, you go get him, develop him, and play him when he’s ready and the situation is right. The pick was highly criticized at the time, but Love is playing at an elite level in his second year as the starter post-Rodgers and has the Packers at 11-4 heading into Week 17.
I still think Rattler deserves a fair shot with a competent football team behind him, but I’d like to see the Saints take a guy late in the draft to apply some pressure on the QB room—preferably one who fits the modern style of quarterback play and has the ability to extend plays with his legs. Although I’ve continuously stressed how underwhelming this upcoming draft class is, you never know who might have that hidden “IT” factor.
Who would you like to see the Saints select in the 2025 NFL Draft, and how early would you be comfortable taking a quarterback?