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New Orleans Saints bench QB Spencer Rattler for rookie Tyler Shough vs. Buccaneers

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels10/26/25ChandlerVessels
Spencer Rattler
Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) drops back to passs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have benched starting quarterback Spencer Rattler in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rookie Tyler Shough entered in his place with just under four minutes to go in the third quarter.

Shough, whom the Saints selected in the second round of the draft this offseason, received cheers from the crowd as he trotted onto the field. It will be his second appearance of this year as he also played briefly against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 21.

New Orleans trailed 17-3 at the time they made the switch at QB, with Rattler already having an interception and a fumble on the day. We’ll see whether Shough can provide a spark for the offense to close the game out.

The change occurred after the Saints went three-and-out on the previous drive and then gave up a field goal to the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, Shough didn’t do much better on his first drive after entering to replace Rattler, which ended in an interception.

Rattler started the first eight games of this season and put up 1,450 yards passing and eight touchdowns to four interceptions. He also had 155 yards rushing, but the Saints were a mere 1-6 on the season.

The way things look to start the fourth quarter, that will likely very soon be 1-7. What will be more interesting to see is whether coach Kellen Moore opts to stick with Shough heading into a Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Shough played seven seasons of college football with stops at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville. He played his final season with the Cardinals in 2024, throwing for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough were in a battle for the starting job all preseason before the former finally won out. But given the results, it might be time to let the rookie show what he can do.

This preseason, Shough finished 36-of-54 passing for 333 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also had 23 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground.

Either way, it’s clear that the Saints need some sort of spark for their offense as the losses continue to pile up. We’ll see what Moore has to say about the QB situation postgame with a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff set for next Sunday against the Rams.