The New Orleans Saints completed their preseason Saturday with a 28-19 loss to Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos.
That marked the final milestone before first-year coach Kellen Moore will choose the team’s starting quarterback.
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Moore has largely been mum about the timeline for announcing a starter before Saturday. However, he told reporters after Saturday’s game his decision would come “at some point next week.”
“We’ll go through this process,” Moore told reporters after the game. “We’ll study the film Sunday, we’ll have those discussions, and then at some point next week we’ll make that decision and communicate with certainly the players, first and foremost, and we’ll get it to everyone else as well.”
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Carolina Panthers quarterbacks Andy Dalton (14) and Bryce Young (9) watch from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Carolina Panthers quarterbacks Andy Dalton (14) and Bryce Young (9) watch from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) runs the ball as Carolina Panthers safety Lathan Ransom (22) and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott (57) attempt to tackle him.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Carolina Panthers running back Raheem Blackshear (3) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols (26) and safety Miles Killebrew (28).
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New England Patriots quarterback Ben Wooldridge (17) throws a pass against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
New York Giants tight end Greg Dulcich (89) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (0).
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lance McCutcheon (82) catches the ball for a touchdown as Carolina Panthers cornerback Shemar Bartholomew (27) follows close behind.
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Jack Plummer (16) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) stretches back for the yard marker while tackled by Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Harrison-Hunte (75).
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Carolina Panthers running back Raheem Blackshear (3) runs through the middle against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) looks for an opening as he is chased by Carolina Panthers cornerback Corey Thornton (31) and linebacker Claudin Cherelus (53).
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph drops back to pass against the Carolina Panthers.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Former NFL quarterback and member of the Prime “Thursday Night Football” crew, Ryan Fitzpatrick, hangs out with fans before the preseason game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium.
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All the action from Week 3 of NFL preseason
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. throws during pregame warmups before the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium.
The Saints‘ quarterback competition began as a three-man race between Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and second-round rookie Tyler Shough. It has since developed into a two-man battle between Rattler and Shough, as Haener has operated as New Orleans’ third-string quarterback throughout the preseason.
Who will win the Saints’ starting quarterback job? Here’s a look at Rattler and Shough’s preseason stats and what Moore has said about their performances.
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Who will win Saints starting QB job?
While Moore hasn’t yet announced a winner of the Saints quarterback competition, Rattler is believed to be leading the competition.
Rattler, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, was given two chances to start in the preseason to Shough’s one. That included the preseason Week 3 contest against Denver, which many took as a sign Moore was favoring him in the two-man race.
Still, Moore hasn’t yet tipped his hand. He took a diplomatic approach following Saturday’s game and praised both quarterbacks.
“Spence did some really good work today,” Moore said of Rattler’s performance. “I thought he made some excellent decision-making. I think the one he’s gonna sit on is we just missed an opportunity to throw it right behind – it ended up on the back of (Rashid) Shaheed. But other than that, I thought he did some really good stuff. He went through some progressions really well, found some guys.”
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“That’s a really good defense,” Moore added. “(Broncos defensive coordinator) Vance (Joseph) obviously does an excellent job. So, I thought it was some really good work for him.”
Meanwhile, Moore lauded Shough for his ability to bounce back from an early game fumble on a strip-sack to deliver a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
“I thought he did a really awesome job,” Moore said of Shough. “I thought that was a great response, that drive by him. He had a number of completions in a row. The one incompletion to Ced (Wilson), he made a great adjustment at the line of scrimmage. We were really close there, and then the run was just phenomenal. It was great recognition on him – high football IQ and decision-making.”
Spencer Rattler stats 2025 preseason
Below is a look at Rattler’s stats across his three preseason games in 2025:
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Completions/attempts (%): 30/43 (69.8%)
Tyler Shough stats 2025 preseason
Below is a look at Rattler’s stats across his three preseason games in 2025:
Completions/attempts (%): 36/54 (66.7%)
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spencer Rattler vs Tyler Shough stats: Who will win Saints’ QB job?