If you scanned the standings, you might think the Saints are among a handful of teams held back by poor quarterback play.
That isn't quite the case for Spencer Rattler and the club hailing from New Orleans. Despite starting 0-4, Rattler has steadily trended upward, incorporating his running ability more in Week 4 and helping the Saints stay competitive against a superior Buffalo Bills squad.
Moral victories don't amount to much in the NFL, though, and Rattler knows this all too well. He's starving for the result that matters most -- a victory -- especially as he prepares to face a team whose new starter earned a win in his very first outing.
"You wish you already had one, but it's a team thing," Rattler said, via the Associated Press. "It's in the past and we're focused on the future. So, it'll come. We're working hard this week to get it."
If Rattler and the Saints are going to end their winless streak in Week 5, they'll have to take down Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants, a team that made the switch to the rookie quarterback after starting 0-3 with veteran Russell Wilson under center. Their first victory wasn't exactly pretty, but it was an upset and counted as a win in Dart's NFL debut.
Dart would love to make it two straight against a team he thought might call him during April's draft.
"I felt like my visit with them went good," Dart said of his pre-draft meeting with Saints coaches. "You kind of have thoughts in your head during the draft of what options are really realistic, and I definitely felt like that was a place that could have panned out."
In the end, it didn't pan out. New York traded up into the first round to select Dart 25th overall while New Orleans waited to draft Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round.
Rattler beat out Shough in the Saints' training camp competition for the starting job. Despite starting 0-4 -- and going 0-6 as a starter in his rookie season of 2024 -- Rattler isn't yet in danger of losing that job, either.
"What happened in the past is relevant, but it's only a piece of the puzzle. So, for Spencer and I, we're 0 for 4," Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "He's grown a ton through this whole entire process.
"He's a young quarterback. Nothing's going to go perfect. We understand that. He's put us in position to win these games, we just haven't gotten it done."
As is common with most teams playing their first season under a new regime, the Saints aren't feeling immense pressure to deliver victories even as losses pile up. They're focused on the long-term process, which currently includes Rattler.
The quarterback -- and the entire state of Louisiana -- hope that process produces a win soon.
