Saints news: Who will start at quarterback vs. Tampa Bay? Plus, musical chairs on offensive line

The New Orleans Saints (2-3) have lost three straight. Injuries and panic are mounting. Starting quarterback Derek Carr will be out for two weeks or more with a left oblique injury suffered late in a lackluster, 26-13 loss at Kansas City on Monday night. And there is not an experienced backup quarterback to start in his place.

The offensive line has been a jumbled mess of musical chairs because of injuries and inexperience. The defense has played well in spots, but it lost starting safety Will Harris to a hamstring injury against the Chiefs. All of this to say: With a home game against NFC South co-leader Tampa Bay (3-2) looming on Sunday (FOX, 1 ET), Halloween isn't the only terror approaching.

Who will start at QB: Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener?

New Orleans Saints' rookie and fifth-round pick quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for a career-high 3,186 yards as a senior at South Carolina last season. But he was just 33rd in the nation in efficiency at 147.7 on 275-of-399 passing for 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Saints took quarterback Jake Haener from Fresno State in the fourth round in 2023. A steadier hand, he finished with a 158.6 efficiency rating on 252-of-350 passing for 2,896 yards and 20 touchdowns against three interceptions in 2022.

Both are about the same size. Rattler is 6-foot-0 and 211 pounds. Haener is 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. Neither have much experience.

Rattler has more arm strength and overall talent, but can be erratic. Haener is the safer bet with that game manager tag, which is why he is listed as the No. 2 quarterback and went in when Carr went down Monday night. Rattler was listed as the No. 3 emergency quarterback, but coach Dennis Allen never said through training camp or going into the season that Haener won the backup job.

Haener was viewed as the best option to replace Carr after a game plan for Carr had been worked on during game week. But with nearly an entire week to prepare, Rattler may be a better option for first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Only one will start when the struggling Saints (2-3), losers of three straight, host Tampa Bay Sunday. "The name of the game is to get completions and to move the ball down the field," Haener said after completing only 2 of 7 passes for 17 yards in relief of Carr Monday.

"I thought he went out and did fine," Allen said the day after the game. "I thought he was under duress a lot. They were cutting loose on the pass rush (with a big lead). I don't think there were a lot of opportunities for him."

Haener was asked about possibly getting the start Sunday.

"People don't really care who's in there and who's doing it," he said. "The expectation is to move the ball and score. If I get to start next week, that's going to be the same expectation. The reality is no one cares. We've got to focus on what we have."

Actually, Rattler is a fan favorite as he has the rocket arm that Haener does not. That was obvious at training camp practices and at times in the preseason. The ball frequently exploded out of his hand, and he can throw well from a variety of body positions. Rattler completed 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown with a 76.9 passer rating. in the preseason. Haener was 24-of-43 passing for 270 yards and a 74.8 passer rating.

There is a chance both could play.

New Orleans offensive line movement, but not the good kind

Lucas Patrick became the third player to start at center for the Saints on Monday night at Kansas City after Erik McCoy (out for several more weeks with groin injury) was hurt in game three against the Eagles and his backup, Shane Lemieux, who started game four at Atlanta, missed the Chiefs game with an ankle injury. He was placed on injured reserve.

But Patrick soon moved to left guard to replace new starter Nick Saldiveri, a fourth-round pick in 2023 who is not very experienced.

"I just thought we needed to make a change over at left guard," Allen said. "We just felt like we needed to put somebody else in there at left guard."

Veteran center Connor McGovern, who the Saints just acquired late last week from the New York Jets' inactive list, replaced Patrick at center. Landon Young, a backup for most of his four-year career, started at right guard because regular right guard Cesar Ruiz missed his second straight game with a knee injury.

"Those guys were in a tough situation," Allen said. "At times, I thought we held up pretty good in protection, in particular, early on. But we didn't get movement for the running game."

The Saints gained a season-low 46 rushing yards on 15 carries. Alvin Kamara managed just 26 yards - also a season low - on 11 carries and caught six passes for 40 yards. He came in with the most yards from scrimmage in the NFL with 536 - 362 rushing and 174 receiving.

"It's a difficult thing to do to have that many changes on your offensive line," Allen said. "And yet, we've got to figure out ways to move the ball and be effective."

Will Harris injured after quality start to season

One of the bright spots of the 2024 season for the Saints' defense has been the play of safety Will Harris, whom the team signed to a one-year contract after he played his first five in Detroit and was a starter at safety and nickel back.

Harris won the starting strong safety job before the 2024 season opposite free safety Tyrann Mathieu and had 14 tackles with three passes defensed and an interception before Monday night's game. He had two tackles against the Chiefs before injuring his hamstring in the second quarter and leaving the game. Johnathan Abram replaced Harris after just being activated prior to the game from the practice squad.

Harris is questionable for the Tampa Bay game on Sunday.