Saints expect to start rookie Spencer Rattler in place of Derek Carr for third week in a row

The 2024 New Orleans Saints are in an all-time rut, becoming just the second team in NFL history to win its first two games by 20-plus points and then lose its next five games in a row. The present-day Saints join the 1965 Dallas Cowboys in this notorious club. 

Fifth-round rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler is expected to be tasked with snapping that streak in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers with coach Dennis Allen saying Rattler is the likely starter this week, per NewOrleans.Football. Derek Carr (oblique) hasn’t played since Week 5, but Allen did say the veteran has resumed throwing the football. Rattler is looking to avoid becoming the first New Orleans quarterback to start his career 0-3 as he readies to start his first road game. 

The young passer has a tough task in front of him in Week 8 as the Chargers have the top scoring defense in the NFL this season in Year 1 under coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, surrendering just 13.8 points per game. That figure is the franchise’s lowest points per game allowed total through the first six games of a season since 1977, per CBS Sports Research.