While the Saints dropped their opening game of the season 20-13 to the Cardinals on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome, QB Spencer Rattler may have provided New Orleans with a sparkle of hope.

The second-year signal-caller out of South Carolina engineered a valiant drive in the final 1:49 of the contest from the Saints’ 42 to the Cardinals’ 18 and gave the Who Dats a chance to potentially send the game into overtime or go for the win with a touchdown and an extra point or two-point conversion.

Rattler threw a dart to Juwan Johnson in the end zone with nine seconds remaining that hit his tight end in the hands before the ball was dislodged by Cardinals DBs Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker, who combined to lay a big hit on Johnson.

While it would’ve been a tough grab, the ball from Rattler was pinpoint and was worthy of a touchdown. On the final play of the game, an out-of-bounds toss intended for Chris Olave into double coverage was a bit anticlimactic, but the Saints certainly earned some respect despite the seven-point loss.

Before the season, pundits were touting the Saints as arguably the worst team in the NFL, and some even questioned if they could go winless through an entire 17-game schedule.

A losing record does seem more than likely. However, New Orleans is a far less dysfunctional outfit under first-year head coach Kellen Moore than the national media may lead you to believe.

The Saints had more first downs (21-19) and total yards (315-276) than the Cardinals and played solid defense against the elusive Kyler Murray.

If Rattler can continue to develop under Moore, along with rookie second-round QB Tyler Shough also in the mix, the Black and Gold could provide New Orleans with an on-field product worth rooting for each and every Sunday.

Notable player stats:

QB Spencer Rattler – 27/46 for 214 yards, 4 rushes for 29 yards

RB Alvin Kamara – 11 rushes for 45 yards and 1 TD

TE Juwan Johnson – 8 receptions for 76 yards

WR Chris Olave – 7 receptions for 54 yards

WR Rashid Shaheed – 6 receptions for 33 yards

LB Peter Werner – 9 tackles, 1 sack

LB Demario Davis – 6 tackles, 2 TFLs

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry – 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD

DE Carl Granderson – 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 PD

DE Cameron Jordan – 2 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 PD

K Blake Grupe – 2/3 FG, 1/1 XP (Makes: 36, 28, Misses: 37)

KR Kendre Miller – 3 returns for 88 yards

KR Velus Jones Jr. – 2 returns for 40 yards

PR Rashid Shaheed – 2 returns for 18 yards

P Kai Kroeger – 4 punts for 202 yards (2 inside 20)