<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-spencer-rattler-blames-himself-for-embarrassing-loss-packers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spencer Rattler blames himself for ’embarrassing’ loss to Packers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler-blames-himself-for-embarrassing-loss-to-Packers.jpg"></figure><h1>Spencer Rattler blames himself for ’embarrassing’ loss to Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T09:41:34-08:00">December 24th, 9:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T09:41:34-08:00">December 24th, 9:41am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints have had a disastrous 2024 campaign. New Orleans started the season hot on a two-game winning streak, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-lions-make-history-as-eagles-fall">now find themselves 5-10 heading into Week 17</a>. Saints fans have little to celebrate this holiday season after their team got blown out on Monday Night Football.</p><p>Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/saints-qb-spencer-rattler-embarrassing-loss-packers/article_dfde6f2c-c1b1-11ef-97d8-33dce1b01b06.html" rel="noopener">blames himself for the team’s uncompetitive game</a> against the Packers.</p><p>“Just embarrassing,” Rattler said per Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com. “Embarrassing loss. I put it on myself, I did not play good at all, in my opinion. I just didn’t have any answers, I have to go to make more plays, protect the ball and I’ve just got to be better.”</p><p>Rattler got the start at quarterback because <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-alvin-kamara-out-week-16-packers">starter Derek Carr is injured</a>. The Saints were also without star running back Alvin Kamara. Simply put, Rattler was set up to fail.</p><p>Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi <a href="https://x.com/MikeTriplett/status/1871413687120240870" rel="noopener">gave a blunt response</a> about his rookie QB fared on Monday Night Football.</p><p>“There were some good moments but can’t turn the ball over,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-darren-rizzi-blunt-review-spencer-rattler-vs-packers">Rizzi said about Rattler’s performance</a>, per Mike Triplett. “Some flash plays but some bad decisions. And we didn’t help him much.”</p><p>New Orleans likely got the type of performance they expected out of their rookie quarterback.</p><h2><b>Does MNF affect Spencer Rattler’s future with the Saints?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler_e8e912.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After such an ugly loss, some Saints fans may be thinking about Spencer Rattler’s future with the organization.</p><p>There’s no hiding that this game was a complete disaster. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-offense-suffers-fate-unseen-2024-packers">Saints did not score a single point</a>, putting them on the receiving end of 2024’s first shutout. It was also New Orleans’ first shutout suffered since the 2022 season.</p><p>All of that said, Monday’s loss was a total team failure. Rattler may want to shoulder all of the blame, but it took more than one player to lose as badly as the Saints did on Monday.</p><p>Rattler’s future with the organization is likely not in question after Monday Night Football. However, that does not mean his future is guaranteed, even as a long-term backup to Derek Carr.</p><p>It will be interesting to see how the Saints approach the upcoming offseason. Especially at the quarterback position.</p><p>Next up for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/new-orleans-saints/schedule/upcoming">Saints is a Week 17 matchup against the Raiders</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spencer Rattler blames himself for ’embarrassing’ loss to Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-darren-rizzi-blunt-review-spencer-rattler-vs-packers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Darren Rizzi issues blunt review of Spencer Rattler’s performance vs. Packers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Darren-Rizzi-issues-blunt-review-of-Spencer-Rattlers-performance-vs-Packers.jpg"></figure><h1>Darren Rizzi issues blunt review of Spencer Rattler’s performance vs. Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T01:29:40-08:00">December 24th, 1:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T01:38:18-08:00">December 24th, 1:38am</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Green Bay Packers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints were noncompetitive in a blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-named-qb1-jake-haener-disaster">Saints turned back to Spencer Rattler</a>, naming the rookie passer the team’s starter for Monday night ‘s matchup after second-year quarterback Jake Haener’s disastrous showing against the Washington Commanders in Week 15. However, Rattler failed to move the needle in his fourth start of the season.</p><p>After the Monday night debacle, Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi <a href="https://x.com/MikeTriplett/status/1871413687120240870" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> on his QB’s outing. Rizzi acknowledged that Rattler had some positive moments but lamented his turnovers and bad decisions, according to Saints reporter Mike Triplett. Rizzi also admitted the team didn’t help him out very much, specifically mentioning dropped passes and missed protections as examples.</p><p>Rattler completed 15/30 passes for 153 yards with zero touchdowns, one interception and a fumble in the Saints’ 34-0 loss to Green Bay Monday. He was also, sadly, New Orleans’ leading rusher, carrying the ball five times for 28 yards.</p><p>The Saints were at a significant disadvantage in Week 16 as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-alvin-kamara-out-week-16-packers">Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr were ruled out</a> with injuries. Kamara is New Orleans’ leading rusher and receiver in 2024. But he suffered a groin injury against the Washington Commanders last week. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-orleans-alvin-kamara-suffered-season-ending-injury">Saints fear Kamar is done for the season</a>.</p><p>It’s likely that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury">Carr is out for the rest of the year</a> as well with a fractured hand. His absence has allowed New Orleans to get a look at its backup quarterbacks. But the team has not liked what it’s seen.</p><h2><b>Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler had a nightmare start against the Packers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler_e8e912.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Haener drew the start in Week 15 but he was benched after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-jake-haener-brutal-play-new-orleans-low-not-seen-since-2002">leading the Saints to their worst half of football</a> in 22 years. Rattler came in for the second half and got the team back in the game. But in Week 16, he was unable to move the offense at all against the Packers, as Green Bay improved to 11-4 and clinched a playoff berth with the easy victory.</p><p>While Rizzi took away some positives from the performance, fans were not nearly as kind, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-gets-mercilessly-clowned-vs-packers">mercilessly roasting Rattler</a> for his poor play. Despite prepping for the contest <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-orleans-prepped-spencer-rattler-packers-game-walk-in-freezer">in a walk-in cafeteria freezer</a> to help prepare the first-year passer for Green Bay’s weather, Rattler struggled mightily.</p><p>The Saints fell to 5-10 on the season with the embarrassing shutout loss. With Carr likely shelved for the final two games of the year, New Orleans will have to choose between Rattler and Haener for next week’s home matchup against the 3-12 Las Vegas Raiders.</p><p>The Saints will wrap up the campaign against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 5. While New Orleans has been eliminated from playoff contention, the Buccaneers are in a battle with the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC South crown and a postseason berth.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Darren Rizzi issues blunt review of Spencer Rattler’s performance vs. Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-offense-suffers-fate-unseen-2024-packers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints offense suffers fate unseen in 2024 vs. Packers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-offense-suffers-fate-unseen-in-2024-vs.-Packers.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints offense suffers fate unseen in 2024 vs. Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T21:06:08-08:00">December 23rd, 9:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T21:06:08-08:00">December 23rd, 9:06pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>Tristin McKinstry is an experienced sports writer who got his start back in 2014. He is an Associate Editor with ClutchPoints and is one of the staff's NHL experts. Tristin has worked professionally with The Inquisitr and GIVEMESPORT in the past, and his work has also been featured on Last Word On Sports, XFL News Hub, and USFL News Hub. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Communications at Southern New Hampshire University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/new-orleans-saints-bold-predictions-week-16-packers">New Orleans Saints took on the Green Bay Packers</a> on Monday Night Football. New Orleans is already out of the race for the playoffs. But they certainly hoped they could pick up a big win over a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Unfortunately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-gets-mercilessly-clowned-vs-packers">such a victory wasn’t on the cards for Spencer Rattler</a> and interim coach Darren Rizzi.</p><p>Rattler threw 15 competitions for 153 yards and one interception. Rattler also led New Orleans with 28 rushing yards on five attempts. In the end, the Packers came away with a 34-0 shutout victory. This marks <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1871407488337314083" rel="noopener">the first time</a> a team has been shutout in the NFL this season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.</p><p>The Saints have fallen to 5-10 on the season and have lost three of their last four games. They are set to close the regular season out with a game at home and on the road. New Orleans plays host to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17 before traveling to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18.</p><h2><b>Saints, Packers headed in opposite directions</b></h2><p>As mentioned, the Saints have been eliminated from playoff contention. As a result, New Orleans is playing for pride and a high draft pick. The loss on Monday night football certainly helps their chase for a top-10 pick. If the season ended on Monday, they would select 10th in the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>The Packers, meanwhile, move to 11-4 with their win on Monday night. They are third in the NFC North, however, behind the 13-2 Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Green Bay is headed to the playoffs themselves, though. Their seeing in the postseason is yet to be determined.</p><p>The Packers follow up their Saints victory with two divisional games. Green Bay takes on the Vikings in Week 17 in a game with massive playoff-seeding implications. In Week 18, they play host to the Chicago Bears. Chicago is coming off a 34-17 loss to the Detroit Lions at home and is 4-11 on the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints offense suffers fate unseen in 2024 vs. Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-spencer-rattler-gets-mercilessly-clowned-vs-packers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Spencer Rattler gets mercilessly clowned amid brutal MNF vs. Packers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Spencer-Rattler-gets-mercilessly-clowned-amid-brutal-MNF-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Spencer Rattler gets mercilessly clowned amid brutal MNF vs. Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T20:47:51-08:00">December 23rd, 8:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T20:47:51-08:00">December 23rd, 8:47pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints left Lambeau Field with a disastrous 34-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-fans-beg-for-something-during-packers-beatdown">Fans already begged the Saints to pull off something interesting</a> after a rough and boring first half. Spencer Rattler, however, took the brunt of the criticism.</p><p>The Saints’ No. 3 quarterback elevated to QB1 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-named-qb1-jake-haener-disaster">following an awful showing from Jake Haener last Sunday</a>. Turns out Rattler showed similar struggles. He settled for only 153 passing yards. Rattler was on the wrong end of this costly mistake.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Spencer Rattler loses the ball and the Packers RECOVER 🔥<a href="https://t.co/IdDqmwHrj8">pic.twitter.com/IdDqmwHrj8</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871380143937368126?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Fans roasted Rattler online from there. One fan posted “Spencer Rattler might be one of the worst QBs of all time” <a href="https://x.com/colton_weaver7/status/1871383673494511647" rel="noopener">on his social media X page</a>. Another fan <a href="https://x.com/knicks_tape99/status/1871255114633134232" rel="noopener">mocked his own fantasy football team</a> by proclaiming Rattler was his QB. Then a Packers fan couldn’t believe Rattler got drafted, <a href="https://x.com/JJLahey/status/1871383643828171190" rel="noopener">which he posted</a> during his downtrodden performance.</p><h2><b>Spencer Rattler faced immense pressure the whole night vs. Packers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler-vs.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Packers literally threw the kitchen sink at Rattler. They went straight after the rookie quarterback and stayed relentless the whole night. Next Gen Stats revealed how many times Rattler faced pressure.</p><p>“The Packers pass rush pressured Spencer Rattler 20 times (3 sacks), generating a season-high 52.6% team pressure rate. Eight different DL had multiple pressures,” <a href="https://x.com/NextGenStats/status/1871409848317075879" rel="noopener">the analytics site posted</a> on its X account.</p><p>Rattler and the Saints additionally sank to this new low for 2024: The first NFL team to endure a shutout this season. It’s also the Saints’ most one-sided defeat this season.</p><p>New Orleans dropped to 5-10 overall on the season. Darren Rizzi already is watching his chance to shed the interim head coaching label slip away. The Saints have lost their last two games after a promising spark Rizzi provided. New Orleans had won three of its four games before the Dec. 15 contest against the Commanders.</p><p>The Saints’ season not only has unraveled. Many fans now believe Rattler has a dim future in the NFL following his dismal night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Spencer Rattler gets mercilessly clowned amid brutal MNF vs. Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-fans-beg-for-something-during-packers-beatdown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fans beg Saints to do something after first half Packers beatdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Fans-beg-NO-to-do-something-after-first-half-Packers-beatdown.jpg"></figure><h1>Fans beg Saints to do something after first half Packers beatdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T18:57:49-08:00">December 23rd, 6:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T18:59:51-08:00">December 23rd, 6:59pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints handed NFL fans boredom on the Monday before Christmas. The Green Bay Packers breezed to the early 21-0 lead by halftime. But throughout the night, fans demanded the Saints do something exciting.</p><p>Mental errors surfaced for the Saints. The offense mustered only 81 total offensive yards. Criticism piled on top of New Orleans. Fans couldn’t help but ridicule the team. Even Bleacher Report’s Gridiron X page blasted the Saints <a href="https://x.com/brgridiron/status/1871383702066057428" rel="noopener">for one costly miscue</a>.</p><p>“Saints wasted over 20 seconds because they didn’t expect the clock to run after they fumbled out of bounds,” the B/R Gridiron page.</p><p>One other fan asked the league if the Saints <a href="https://x.com/audavidb/status/1871373570045366322" rel="noopener">could’ve been flexed out</a> of this Monday Night Football game. But even a former Saint couldn’t bear to watch this debacle take place. Super Bowl XLIV champion Scott Shanle <a href="https://x.com/scottshanle/status/1871375550260068533" rel="noopener">delivered a strong reaction</a> to the Saints’ first half disappointment.</p><p>“Saints are without starting quarterback, running back, WR1 and WR2, and starting center. So there will be issues, but getting bullied by their offense is hard to watch versus a healthy front seven,” Shanle said on X.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-alvin-kamara-out-week-16-packers">Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara</a> already got ruled out ahead of the contest.</p><p>Elsewhere, the MNF broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman became amused by a “flop” done by Saints defender Ugo Amadi.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Troy Aikman and Joe Buck were amused by Saints safety Ugo Amadi's flop. </p><p>"Christmas is coming up. NBA's gonna be all over the tube and, you know, they've got that move mastered."</p><p>"Soccer. You name it. But in this brand of football, you don't typically see that." <a href="https://t.co/bjrBPIblSk">pic.twitter.com/bjrBPIblSk</a></p><p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1871369226512158726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Finally, ESPN NFL reporter Jordan Reid suggested what the Saints’ <a href="https://x.com/Jordan_Reid/status/1871378944366391542" rel="noopener">real draft needs are</a>: Everything.</p><h2><b>How bad did Saints performance get? </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler-of-the-Saints.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Buck said it right away at the starts of the third quarter: “They’ve got to get something going.”</p><p>New Orleans settled for under 40 passing yards — 39 to be exact. Green Bay sacked Spencer Rattler twice. He only completed four out of eight passing attempts. Rattler even was the leading rusher for New Orleans, with only 13 rushing yards. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-orleans-prepped-spencer-rattler-packers-game-walk-in-freezer">Rattler even prepared for this game and its frigid conditions</a> with a walk-in freezer.</p><p>No Saints receiver caught more than two passes in the first two quarters of play. Foster Moreau lead with two catches but 33 yards.</p><p>The Saints left NFL fans in a bored state with their slow first half start on MNF. And left fans, even the MNF crew, hoping they’d do something at Lambeau Field to break out of the boredom.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fans beg Saints to do something after first half Packers beatdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/new-orleans-saints-bold-predictions-week-16-packers');   ga('set', 'title', 'New Orleans Saints bold predictions for Week 16 Monday Night Football vs. Packers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/New-Orleans-Saints-bold-predictions-for-Week-16-Monday-Night-Football-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>New Orleans Saints bold predictions for Week 16 Monday Night Football vs. Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T17:53:14-08:00">December 22nd, 5:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T17:53:14-08:00">December 22nd, 5:53pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sorting through <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-named-qb1-jake-haener-disaster">the debacle of their quarterback position</a>, New Orleans is still <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-alvin-kamara-out-week-16-packers">reeling from the effect of numerous injuries</a>. With a New Orleans Saints Week 16 game scheduled against the Green Bay Packers, the Saints will try to squeak out of 2024 with a hint of good feelings. Ahead of the Saints-Packers game, we’ll be making our Saints Week 16 predictions.</p><p>The Saints are 5-9 on the season but have won three of their last five games. They don’t have a shot at the playoffs, but can hurt the momentum of the Packers, who have won seven of their last nine games.</p><p>It may not be easy without starting quarterback Derek Carr, but Saints head coach Darren Rizzi said the <a href="https://www.wdsu.com/article/packers-attempt-to-continue-their-surge-as-they-host-the-saints-on-monday-night/63255987" rel="noopener">team will line up</a>, according to wdsu.com.</p><p>“We have the players that we have,” interim coach Darren Rizzi said. “Everybody across the league right now is dealing with injuries, some more than others. I think the best teams in the league are the teams that are able to overcome those, regardless of the position. That’s really how we’ve been approaching it.”</p><h2><b>Spencer Rattler will throw for 200-plus yards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/New-Orleans-Saints-QB-Spencer-Rattler.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Saints will have to get the ball into the air to have a shot at the win, so look for Rattler to take some shots early. Head coach Darren Rizzi said Rattler <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/five-keys-for-packers-to-beat-saints-01jfmsd94y13" rel="noopener">has improved his game</a>, according to Sports Illustrated.</p><p>“I thought the last three games he was out there, like any rookie quarterback, sometimes he looked a little panicky,” Rizzi said. “I saw him much more relaxed, I saw him much more in control, I saw a lot more leadership out of him. That was the impressive part.”</p><p>Rattler said he’s better prepared as he <a href="https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/rookie-quarterback-spencer-rattler-brings-experience-gained-from-three-previous-starts-for-new-orleans-saints-into-monday-s-game-against-packers" rel="noopener">makes a fourth start</a>, according to neworleanssaints.com.</p><p>“Your first time out there, obviously with everything we had going on — different coach, lot of injuries, lot of missing pieces — that was a big part of it,” Rattler said. “Having guys back makes it a lot better, and then I think just getting to sit back and watch how it’s supposed to be done.</p><p>“I thought D.C. (Carr) has been playing really well — great vet in our league, great vet for us, so being able to learn under him, pick his brain. Watch how he plays. Go through his reads. Talks in the huddle. Gets in and out. It’s been great. But just getting out there again was good.”</p><p>Rizzi said Rattler needs to avoid thinking too much.</p><p>“I think especially for a rookie, there’s some overthinking involved, or a guy that hasn’t had a lot of starts,” Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi said. “Sometimes when you come off the bench, ‘Hey, you’ve got to go.’ You don’t get that chance to maybe overthink all the different things and the scenarios and all that.</p><p>“When you’re the starter, sometimes you may go into a game and you’re thinking of first- and second-down plan, third-down plan, the two-minute plan, the red-zone plan – all of a sudden it kind of piles up on you. I think for young, inexperienced quarterbacks that can kind of pile up a little bit.</p><h2><b>Kendre Miller will rush for 50-plus yards with a TD</b></h2><p>Rizzi said he likes <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/darren-rizzi-high-praise-kendre-223412762.html#:~:text=Interim%20head%20coach%20Darren%20Rizzi,8%2Dyard%20run%20look%20good." rel="noopener">what he’s seen</a> from Miller, who will make his first start, according to yahoo.com.</p><p>“I think Kendre is again showing you why we drafted him,” Rizzi said. “He made some really, really dynamic drives. He has the ability of making an 8-yard run look good. Making people miss. Getting tough yards.</p><p>“Kendre’s gotta just stay consistent, that’s been his thing right? So we gotta do that again next week, we gotta have another good practice week, we gotta just stay healthy. So those are the things. But you saw the flashes today and the athletic ability, that’s the guy we knew we were drafting.”</p><p>Miller received 10 carries against the Giants, and nine more versus the Commanders. With Alvin Kamara out of the lineup, he could get a career-high total of attempts. The Saints grabbed Miller in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.</p><h2><b>Juwan Johnson will set season-high in catches</b></h2><p>Johnson has been used consistently by the Saints, but not often. He has at least two catches in 11 straight games. But his high mark is five with a best yardage total of 50.</p><p>The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Johnson said the team is trying to get along with Carr <a href="https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/new-york-giants-vs-new-orleans-saints-2024-nfl-week-14-postgame-quotes" rel="noopener">in the huddle</a> leading them, according to neworleanssaints.com.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean it’s sucks because for a guy who has worked so hard just in general, on the field and off the field,” Johnson said. “It kind of sucks to see how this season has sort of panned out where he misses the most games he probably has in his career.</p><p>“He’s just been having a rough go. And we are behind him, aside from all the football stuff. He is still Derek Carr aside from the football field. So we just have to be there for him emotionally, spiritually, (and) physically.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

New Orleans Saints bold predictions for Week 16 Monday Night Football vs. Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-new-orleans-prepped-spencer-rattler-packers-game-walk-in-freezer');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints prepped Spencer Rattler for Packers game with walk-in freezer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0-New-Orleans-prepped-Spencer-Rattler-for-Packers-game-with-walk-in-freezer-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints prepped Spencer Rattler for Packers game with walk-in freezer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T07:14:29-08:00">December 22nd, 7:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T07:21:46-08:00">December 22nd, 7:21am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/packers-cant-underestimate-saints-mnf-clash-playoff-chase">Saints will be traveling to Green Bay</a> to take on the Packers on Monday Night Football, and there’s a chance the weather can get below 30 degrees. The Saints are not used to that kind of weather, and neither is Spencer Rattler, so quarterback coach Andrew Janocko made sure to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43099278/saints-rattler-preps-lambeau-reps-walk-freezer" rel="noopener">prep him ahead of the game</a>, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.</p><p>“Janocko took us in the cafeteria freezer, where it was like 10 degrees, and we’re just going through the whole script in there, and so just doing that, that helped a lot,” Rattler said. “So hopefully it’s not 10 degrees, but we’ll be ready.”</p><p>As the season winds down, Janocko wanted to do something fun with the team while also helping them get used to the weather. It’s always super cold around this time in Green Bay, and if you’re not prepared, things could get ugly.</p><h2>Spencer Rattler starting at QB for Saints in Week 16</h2><p>In Week 15, the Saints went with Jake Haener to start against the Washington Commanders, but by the end of the game, he was on the bench, and Spencer Rattler was in the game. Interim coach Darren Rizzi made sure that this time around, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-named-qb1-jake-haener-disaster">Rattler would be the starting quarterback</a>, and hopefully, the rookie can get his first win against the Packers.</p><p>The Saints have been suffering at quarterback this year, as Derek Carr has been in and out of the lineup with several injuries. This will be Rattler’s fourth game starting this season, and through those games, he has completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 706 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.</p><p>As the season almost comes to a close and the Saints not having much of a chance of going to the playoffs, they might want to see what they have in their young talent for the remainder of the year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints prepped Spencer Rattler for Packers game with walk-in freezer

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-derek-carr-alvin-kamara-out-week-16-packers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara ruled out for Week 16 vs. Packers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Derek-Carr-Alvin-Kamara-ruled-out-for-Week-16-vs-Packers.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara ruled out for Week 16 vs. Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T13:59:09-08:00">December 21st, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T13:59:09-08:00">December 21st, 1:59pm</time><address><a>Dakota Zientek</a>Dakota Zientek graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020 and has been writing about the NFL ever since. As a die-hard NFL fan, Dakota's fandom rides with the Chicago Bears through thick and thin -- regardless of how much pain it has caused his heart throughout the years. One day, he believes he will celebrate the Bears winning a Super Bowl. Maybe even... a few?</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Green Bay Packers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-vs-packers-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-week-16-2024">New Orleans Saints visit the Green Bay Packers</a> on Monday Night of Week 16, <a href="https://x.com/MikeTriplett/status/1870575529616945253" rel="noopener">they’ll be without</a> Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara on offense, per Mike Triplett on X.</p><p>“Saints’ Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara officially out for Monday at Green Bay, per Darren Rizzi,” Triplett wrote.</p><p>Triplett <a href="https://x.com/MikeTriplett/status/1870575795556757821" rel="noopener">added to Rizzi’s comments</a>, noting Carr’s progress.</p><p>“Rizzi said Derek Carr has been progressing in recent days, getting grip strength back etc,” Triplett wrote. “Just not enough yet to play on Monday.”</p><p>As both teams enter this game off different outcomes last week, the Saints hope to bounce back from their loss to the Washington Commanders.</p><p>On the other side of that coin, the Packers are hoping to build off their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jets-news-aaron-rodgers-hilariously-disses-seahawks-fans-packers-lumen-field-takeover">win against the Seattle Seahawks</a>.</p><p>Based on what Darren Rizzi told reporters, the Packers will face off against a Saints team without two of their key offensive starters.</p><p>Instead of Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara, the Saints will have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-spencer-rattler-named-qb1-jake-haener-disaster">rookie Spencer Rattler</a> and a mixture of Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams.</p><h2><b>Saints QB Spencer Rattler starting vs. Packers with Derek Carr out Week 16</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury">Carr possibly missing the rest of the regular season</a>, the Saints gave <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-darren-rizzi-explains-benching-jake-haener-vs-commanders">backup quarterback Jake Haener</a> a chance to start.</p><p>As a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Haener completed only four passes in his Week 15 start, adding 49 yards and an interception to his stat sheet.</p><p>However, coming out of halftime, Rattler took over quarterbacking duties, nearly leading a comeback victory for the Saints.</p><p>While Rattler’s stat sheet wasn’t impeccable against the Commanders, he completed 10-of-21 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown pass.</p><p>Rattler has appeared in three other games in 2024, taking Carr’s place in Weeks 6-8.</p><p>In those three other appearances, Rattler completed 57.5% of his passes for 706 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.</p><p>As a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, expectations from the rookie quarterback were tame. Some thought he could be an NFL-caliber quarterback, while others worried about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-tyrann-mathieu-gets-100-real-on-relating-to-spencer-rattlers-character-concerns">character issues with Rattler</a>.</p><p>However, with the Saints nearly eliminated from the NFL Playoff Picture, they’ll need a strong performance from their fifth-round rookie quarterback against the Packers— another team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/packers-cant-underestimate-saints-mnf-clash-playoff-chase">battling for the postseason</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara ruled out for Week 16 vs. Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-packers-matchup-must-end-derek-carr-charade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints, Packers matchup must end Derek Carr charade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-Packers-matchup-must-end-Derek-Carr-charade.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints, Packers matchup must end Derek Carr charade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T20:15:44-08:00">December 19th, 8:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T20:15:44-08:00">December 19th, 8:15pm</time><address><a>Andrew Kulha</a>Andrew Kulha has been a professional sports writer since 2010. His work has been featured in publications such as Bleacher Report, 247Sports, Yardbarker, Forbes, Saturday Tradition, Saturday Down South, Prep Hoops and many others.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-verge-signing-derek-carr">New Orleans Saints made an investment in Derek Carr</a> in the 2023 offseason to the tune of a four-year, $150 million contract with $100 of that guaranteed. Carr had never been a superstar in his career, but he’s always been a well-above average quarterback who could make big-time plays with good talent around him.</p><p>Would that have made Carr the Saints’ “franchise quarterback”? At that point in his career, not necessarily. That’s a term usually reserved for young superstars like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Those quarterbacks will likely never play for any other franchise other than their own outside of a late-career change like a Tom Brady (which was extremely successful) <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jets-news-stephen-a-smith-destroys-aaron-rodgers-legacy">or Aaron Rodgers (which has been not as successful)</a>.</p><p>The Saints signed Carr to be a playoff-level quarterback who could help them get back to the mountaintop if all the pieces fell together right, though. That’s not a franchise quarterback, but Carr is a highly-respected veteran within the NFL’s quarterback hierarchy and he’s an important part of the Saints’ franchise in the here and now.</p><p>In 2023, his first year in New Orleans, the Saints were 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Carr threw for 3,878 yards and 25 touchdowns with just eight interceptions, meaning it was one of the better seasons of his career. It was certainly a step up from New Orleans’ 2022 season, which saw the Saints go 7-10 with Andy Dalton as the team’s top passer.</p><p>The Saints were supposed to be moving in a positive direction in Carr’s second year in New Orleans, but 2024 has been an unmitigated disaster for all involved. They started off 2-0 with dominant wins over the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, but then proceeded to go on a seven-game losing streak <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-dennis-allen-breaks-silence-on-new-orleans-firing#:~:text=The%20New%20Orleans%20Saints%20have,coach%20Dennis%20Allen%20on%20Monday.">that got head coach Dennis Allen fired</a>.</p><p>Carr has been middling, at best, this season, but he’s also been banged up. His latest injury (a fracture in his non-throwing hand as well as a concussion) <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-final-week-15-injury-update">kept him out of the Saints’ Week 15 game against the Washington Commanders</a>, and Spencer Rattler is slated to be the starter in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football if Carr is once again ruled out.</p><p>Frankly, he should be, so why are we still playing this game? The Saints are 5-9 and ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index gives them <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/fpi/_/view/projections" rel="noopener">zero shot to make the playoffs</a> in 2024. There’s nothing to play for at this point, and even if Carr wants to come back and he’s trying to come back in time for this Monday Night Football clash with the Packers…the Saints should highly consider just sitting him for the rest of this season if they plan on him being their quarterback in 2025.</p><p>Oddly enough, though, interim head coach Darren Rizzi <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43064257/saints-start-qb-rattler-carr-rb-alvin-kamara-likely-out" rel="noopener">does not at all sound intent</a> on ruling Carr out as he looks to come back from the left hand fracture, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.</p><p>“If he was done for the season, we would’ve put him on IR by now and we would’ve shut him down. It’s just not the case,” Rizzi said. “He’s working his tail off every day. He’s frustrated by some of the reports. Quite frankly, we’ve had multiple conversations about it and he’s in here every day. He had one of his best days today, so as soon as he’s able to function and as soon as he’s able to go out there and get some functionality back in his hand, we’ll do that.”</p><h2><b>Saints have to shut down Derek Carr for season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-Saints-need-to-shut-down-Derek-Carr.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s worth noting that the Monday Night Football-ness of this week’s game will give Carr an additional day of rest, so he certainly could come back to play against the Packers if all parties involved felt he was ready.</p><p>It doesn’t make any sense to keep this charade up, though. If the Saints were in the middle of a playoff hunt? Sure, it would make sense to exhaust every option to get Carr back on the field. Heck, if they were even mildly on the bubble, it may still be worth the risk he would incur against a Packers defense that has been playing strong football as of late and is coming off a seven sack performance against the Seattle Seahawks that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/seahawks-news-geno-smiths-concerning-knee-injury-important-update-packers-game">knocked starter Geno Smith out of the game</a> with a knee injury.</p><p>It just isn’t worth it for the Saints to put Carr in harms way if a likely loss is coming whether he or Rattler is playing against the Pack. Keep in mind, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-orleans-alvin-kamara-suffered-season-ending-injury">star running back Alvin Kamara might be out for the season himself</a>, so there’s just not much to gain here if you’re Carr or the Saints.</p><p>If Carr is New Orleans’ plan for 2025, it makes no sense to keep him from starting a full offseason rehab program immediately. Even if he’s not, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-saints-30-million-derek-carr-complication">and they’re able to get out of his contract</a>, sending out a respected veteran to get beat up on national television is not the way you attract free agents in the future.</p><p>There are egos on the line, sure, but the smart move is for the Saints to officially shut Carr down. If they can’t let go of that charade just yet, in no way should he play on Monday Night Football.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints, Packers matchup must end Derek Carr charade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-spencer-rattler-named-qb1-jake-haener-disaster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Spencer Rattler named QB1 after Jake Haener disaster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spencer-Rattler-named-QB1-amid-New-Orleans-injury-woes.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Spencer Rattler named QB1 after Jake Haener disaster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T13:51:08-08:00">December 19th, 1:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T13:51:08-08:00">December 19th, 1:51pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In Week 15, the New Orleans Saints <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-jake-haener-brutal-play-new-orleans-low-not-seen-since-2002">turned to Jake Haener at quarterback</a> and fell to the Washington Commanders, 20-19. Heading into Week 16, the Saints won’t be making the same decision.</p><p>Interim head coach Darren Rizzi announced that Spencer Rattler will be New Orleans’ <a href="https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1869843674454274147" rel="noopener">starting quarterback</a> vs. the Green Bay Packers, via Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.</p><p>Haener completed just 4-of-10 passes for 49 scoreless yards and an interception. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-darren-rizzi-explains-benching-jake-haener-vs-commanders">He was benched for Rattler</a> before the second half kickoff. That change helped spark the Saints and sent the team on a run. They outscored the Commanders 19 to six in the second half as Rattler completed 10-of-21 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. However, Haener’s slow start put New Orleans in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.</p><p>Week 16 will mark the fourth time Rattler has served as the Saints’ QB1 as a rookie. However, he is still searching for his first win. Over the four games total he has appeared in, Rattler has completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 706 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.</p><p>At this stage of the season, New Orleans is seeing exactly what they have in their backup quarterbacks. Haener may have sealed his long-term fate in Week 15, and at least for now has been demoted. Spencer Rattler has yet to truly impress under center, but now he has another shot. If he can earn a win down the stretch, it would perhaps give him a leg up in 2025’s backup discussion.</p><p>The Saints’ quarterback rollercoaster all stems from the hand injury Derek Carr is battling through. He has yet to be placed on injured reserve, but is dealing with a fracture to his non-throwing hand. With the Saints floundering at 5-9, it <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury">seems unlikely that Carr will return before the end of the season</a>.</p><p>So for now, New Orleans will turn to Rattler. They’re hoping the fire he lit against the Commanders in the second half carries over to Week 16.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Spencer Rattler named QB1 after Jake Haener disaster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-new-orleans-alvin-kamara-suffered-season-ending-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints fear Alvin Kamara suffered season-ending injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0-New-Orleans-fearing-Alvin-Kamara-suffered-season-ending-injury0.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints fear Alvin Kamara suffered season-ending injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T13:02:29-08:00">December 19th, 1:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T13:33:26-08:00">December 19th, 1:33pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury">Saints season continues to get hit</a> with the injury bug, as Alvin Kamara is the latest player that <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1869846184980034022" rel="noopener">may not see the field</a> for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.</p><p>“Saints RB Alvin Kamara’s groin injury still is being evaluated but it’s possible it is a season-ending injury and he has played his last down this year, per sources,” Schefter tweeted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Kamara was having a solid season with the Saints and is 50 rushing yards away from getting to 1,000 for the year. The Saints have not had the best luck with injuries, especially on offense.</p><h2>Saints continue to deal with injuries</h2><p>Along with Alvin Kamara, there’s a chance that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury">Derek Carr won’t return</a> for the rest of the season after suffering a hand injury weeks ago.</p><p>“Sources: Saints QB Derek Carr underwent further examination recently, and he’s at least a few weeks away from being able to withstand contact,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on X, formerly Twitter. “With 3 weeks remaining, a return this season is described as very unlikely. Carr has been out with a left hand fractured in two places.”</p><p>The Saints will now have to roll with either Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener as the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Haener started in Week 15, but he was benched and Rattler took over.</p><p>The Saints have also lost Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for the season, and their offense has been nowhere near the level it was at the beginning of the year. As of now, the Saints are just trying to compete and see what they have for next season, as the team will be looking for a new head coach to lead them. Hopefully, the Saints can come back strong and have a better year next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints fear Alvin Kamara suffered season-ending injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-vs-packers-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-week-16-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints vs. Packers predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Week 16 2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-vs.-Packers-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-NFL-Week-16-2024.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints vs. Packers predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Week 16 2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T10:20:58-08:00">December 19th, 10:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T10:20:58-08:00">December 19th, 10:20am</time><address><a>Nate Duffett</a>Nate Duffett is a writer for ClutchPoints and a sports junkie at heart, especially for the Boston sports scene. In his spare time, he coaches hockey and is also a Hockey Scout at FCHockey and NeutralZone. Whether it's covering the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, or College Football and Basketball, there is not a sport Nate isn't able to discuss.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints season hasn’t gone as they would’ve liked, owning a 5-9 record and a third-place standing in the NFC South. The Green Bay Packers are also third in the NFL North, but it is under much different circumstances as they are 10-4 and primed for a trip to the postseason. Three teams should represent the division in the playoffs, as the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are fighting for the top seed in the NFC. It is time to continue our NFL odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Saints-Packers prediction and pick.</p><figure><img src="https://a.impactradius-go.com/display-ad/3065-2113640"></figure><figure><img src="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/i/492408/2113640/3065"></figure><h2><b>Saints-Packers Last Game – Matchup History</b></h2><p>The Saints and Packers have been frequent opponents over the last few years after sparingly playing each other in the early 2000s. The teams have played three times since 2020. Green Bay has won two of those three games, with the most recent victory coming last season by an 18-17 score at Lambeau Field.</p><p>The Saints took a 17-0 by the end of the first half after an eight-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Graham, a 76-yard punt return from Daniel Whalen, and a Blake Grupe 25-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the half.</p><p>Anders Carlson hit a 38-yard field goal with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to finally put the Packers on the board. Jordan Love scored on a quarterback sneak to make it a one-score game, then threw an eight-yard pass with 2:56 remaining to steal the 18-17 victory.</p><p>Overall Series: Packers 18-10</p><p><i><b>Here are the Saints-Packers <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl" rel="noopener">NFL odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </b></i></p><h2><b>NFL Odds: Saints-Packers Odds</b></h2><p>New Orleans Saints: +14.5 (-115)</p><p>Moneyline: +700</p><p>Green Bay Packers: -14.5 (-105)</p><p>Moneyline: -1100</p><p>Over: 42.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 42.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Saints vs. Packers</b></h2><p>Time: 8:15 PM ET/5:15 PM PT</p><p>TV: ESPN</p><p><i><b>*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why The Saints Could Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Jordan Love has figured out his interception issues since the start of the season, as he has eight touchdowns and one interception over his last five games. However, the Saints’ defense has been strong in causing turnovers, as they rank eighth in interceptions per game and seventh in forced fumbles per game. If the Saints can force Love to turn the ball over in this game, it’ll get more challenging to cover a 14-point spread.</p><p>The Saints haven’t lost a game by more than seven points since October 27, when they dropped a 26-8 decision to the Los Angeles Chargers. They lost three games in a row by massive scores during that stretch but cleaned up those issues in the six games since then.</p><h2><b>Why The Packers Could Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Saints have one of the worst defenses in the league regarding allowing yards, as they rank 30th with 376.6 yards allowed per game. They rank in the bottom five in many defensive categories, but strangely enough, their points allowed don’t reflect it. The Saints allow 22.3 points per game, which is 13th in the league. The Packers should be able to generate plenty of offense in this game, ranking fourth in the league with 375.8 yards per game.</p><h2><b>Final Saints-Packers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Packers covered the spread in four straight games and have won two by 28 and 17 points. The other win was a 13-point spread against the Miami Dolphins. Derek Carr has been battling through adversity to lead the Saints to some wins, but he’ll now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-season-likely-over-fracturing-hand-giants">miss at least several weeks for the Saints</a>. It could be a long day for the Saints offense with Carr on the sidelines.</p><p><b>Final Saints-Packers Prediction &amp; Pick: Packers -14.5 (-105)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints vs. Packers predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Week 16 2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl-rumors-jets-saints-linked-to-potential-deion-sanders-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL rumors: Jets, Saints linked to potential Deion Sanders pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JetsSaints-linked-to-potential-Deion-Sanders-pursuit.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL rumors: Jets, Saints linked to potential Deion Sanders pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T10:44:50-08:00">December 18th, 10:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T10:44:50-08:00">December 18th, 10:44am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While the expectation is that Deion Sanders will remain the head coach at the Colorado football program, there is still an expectation that NFL teams in search of a new head coach will <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/43022769/nfl-week-16-buzz-news-updates-fantasy-tips-predictions-questions" rel="noopener">do their due diligence</a> and reach out to him, according to ESPN.</p><p>“A few weeks ago, we broke down Deion Sanders’ NFL outlook,” Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote. “I’m bumping this again because a league source told me this about Sanders in recent days: ‘I think [NFL] teams will want to hear what he has to say.’ So it wouldn’t shock to see the Jets or Saints or a team casting a wide net to at least reach out or do its research on him.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-deion-sanders-loses-all-big-12-lb-transfer-portal">Sanders has progressively</a> made <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-deion-sanders-finds-shedeur-sanders-replacement-in-transfer-portal-kaidon-salter">the Colorado football program</a> better over his two years, as the Buffaloes had a shot to make the College Football Playoff late in the season. Colorado, featuring Deion Sanders’ son, Shedeur Sanders, and Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star Travis Hunter, are projected to send two players to the top 10 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Of course, there has been speculation that Deion could potentially take an NFL job with a team at the top of the draft and select his son, Shedeur.</p><h2><b>Where could Deion Sanders coach in the NFL, if he wanted to?</b></h2><p>ESPN’s report includes the Jets and Saints, two teams who have already fired their coaches and are set to conduct a complete search once the 2024 season is over. There are several other possible openings, with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants sticking out.</p><p>The Raiders and Giants are likely going to hold the top two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, in some kind of order. One of those two teams are likely to be in a position to select Shedeur Sanders, which could make that team an attractive destination for Deion.</p><p>The expectation is that Deion Sanders will not go to the NFL, but it will be interesting to see if teams check in once the season is over.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL rumors: Jets, Saints linked to potential Deion Sanders pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl-rumors-saints-30-million-derek-carr-complication');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL rumors: The Saints’ $30 million Derek Carr complication');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0-The-Saints-30-million-Derek-Carr-complication-0.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL rumors: The Saints’ $30 million Derek Carr complication</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T09:28:07-08:00">December 18th, 9:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T09:28:07-08:00">December 18th, 9:28am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury">New Orleans Saints find themselves at a pivotal crossroads</a> regarding quarterback Derek Carr. With Carr sidelined due to a concussion and a broken left hand, his contract situation has grown increasingly complicated as the offseason looms. Carr’s deal includes $40 million in guaranteed money for 2025, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-orleans-23-million-derek-carr-contract">structured as $10 million in fully guaranteed roster bonuses and $30 million</a> in guarantees contingent on his ability to pass a physical.  The $30 million becomes fully guaranteed at the start of the new league year in March, leaving the Saints <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/43022769/nfl-week-16-buzz-news-updates-fantasy-tips-predictions-questions" rel="noopener">with a tight window to make a decision.</a></p><p>“If the Saints want to move on from Carr after this season, they’d have to release him before that $30 million becomes fully guaranteed. But because it’s injury-guaranteed, they would have to prove he can pass a physical and be cleared to play before the date on which it becomes fully guaranteed.” via Dan Graziano of ESPN.</p><p>This scenario presents a challenging predicament. If Carr cannot pass a physical by March, the Saints cannot release him without triggering the injury-guaranteed $30 million. Should the team attempt to cut him while he claims he isn’t fully healed, it would <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/derek-carr-saints-inch-toward-a-possible-30-million-showdown" rel="noopener">likely lead to a grievance</a> filed by Carr and the NFL Players Association to secure the funds.</p><h2><b>The Saints have a $30M decision to make this offseason</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Derek-Carr.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Saints’ decision will be further complicated by their broader organizational changes. Following a lackluster 2024 season, a new coaching staff is expected to take over, and any incoming regime might prefer a fresh start at quarterback. Despite Carr’s reputation as a steady veteran presence, the Saints haven’t found much success with him under center, fueling speculation that they might consider moving on.</p><p>This isn’t the first time Carr’s contract guarantees have placed a team in a precarious position. Two years ago, the Las Vegas Raiders benched Carr late in the season to avoid triggering similar injury-related guarantees. The Saints might now regret not taking similar precautions.</p><p>For New Orleans, much hinges on whether Carr can recover from both the concussion and the two fractures in his left hand before the March deadline. Should his injuries linger, the Saints could face a costly arbitration battle with $30 million at stake. Alternatively, they could decide to retain Carr and pay the full $40 million, but this could clash with the vision of a new coaching staff seeking to retool the roster. The coming months will be crucial as the Saints weigh their options in what could become a high-stakes decision with significant financial and roster implications.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL rumors: The Saints’ $30 million Derek Carr complication

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-newsderek-carr-very-unlikely-return-season-hand-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Derek Carr ‘very unlikely’ to return this season with hand injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Saints-news-Derek-Carr-gets-eye-opening-injury-update-after-missing-Thursday-Night-Football.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Derek Carr ‘very unlikely’ to return this season with hand injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T07:32:39-08:00">December 17th, 7:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T07:49:54-08:00">December 17th, 7:49am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-new-orleans-new-qb-derek-carr-injury">appears that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has already played his last game</a> in the 2024 NFL regular season.</p><p>Carr was ruled out with a hand injury for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-final-week-15-injury-update">Week 15’s Saints game versus the Washington Commanders last Sunday</a> at Caesars Superdome and is <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1869039427491971153" rel="noopener">reportedly “very unlikely” to see action</a> going forward in the 2024 campaign, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL  Network.</p><p>“Sources: #Saints QB Derek Carr underwent further examination recently and he’s at least a few weeks away from being able to withstand contact,” posted Rapoport on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning. “With 3 weeks remaining, a return this season is described as very unlikely. Carr has been out with a left hand fractured in two places,” Rapoport added.</p><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-week-15-qb-decision-derek-carr-injury">Derek Carr sidelined in Week 15</a>, the Saints went with Jake Haener as their starter under center. However, Haener proved to be ineffective, as he went 4-of-10 for 49 passing yards with zero touchdowns. He was intercepted and got sacked three times for a loss of 29 yards before he was replaced by Spencer Rattler, who did better but not enough for the Saints to avoid a 20-19 loss to the Commanders. Rattler finished the game with 135 passing yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions on 10-fo-21 pass completions.</p><h2><b>The Saints don’t have to risk aggravating Derek Carr’s injury amid a seemingly lost season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Derek-Carrs-season-likely-over-after-fracturing-hand-vs.-Giants-1.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Saints are technically still in the hunt for a spot in the NFL playoffs but with a 5-9 record and only three more weeks left in the 2024 regular season, New Orleans is going to need something close to a miracle to sneak into the postseason. They are currently just third as well in the NFC South division, behind the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 7-7- Atlanta Falcons. Given the circumstances, the risk of aggravating Carr’s injury for the extremely remote chance to make the playoffs just doesn’t seem like a sensible move at the moment for the Saints.</p><p>Carr, who inked a four-year contract worth $150 million with the Saints in 2023, would finish his 2024 season with 2.145 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against five interceptions on a 67.7 percent completion rate if he does indeed not play another game this year.</p><p>The Saints will take on the Green Bay Packers on the road in Week 16 before their final home game of the season in Week 17 versus the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans’ regular-season finale will be against the Buccaneers in Week 18.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Derek Carr ‘very unlikely’ to return this season with hand injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-darren-rizzi-provides-murky-alvin-kamara-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Darren Rizzi provides murky Alvin Kamara injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Darren-Rizzi-provides-murky-Alvin-Kamara-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Darren Rizzi provides murky Alvin Kamara injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-16T11:53:05-08:00">December 16th, 11:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-16T11:53:05-08:00">December 16th, 11:53am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Orleans Saints head coach Darren Rizzi said that running back Alvin Kamara’s injury is a <a href="https://x.com/Kat_Terrell/status/1868738922123268582" rel="noopener">groin adductor type of situation</a>, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.</p><p>Kamara felt it on the touchdown, according to Terrell. He will continue to go through tests for the injury. Rizzi said he was not going to make any medical declarations when asked if it was a minor injury for Kamara.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-jake-haener-brutal-play-new-orleans-low-not-seen-since-2002">The Saints fell</a> to 5-9 on the season after their 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, so playoff hopes are very slim at this point. Still, the Saints would like to finish the season strong. Rizzi especially would, as it would help him make a name for himself in NFL coaching circles, whether that is making a case to stay on as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-darren-rizzi-explains-benching-jake-haener-vs-commanders">the Saints’ head coach</a>, or make a case for another job opening down the line. Having Kamara on the field for the last three games of the season would be a significant boost, especially with Derek Carr likely missing more time. The Saints finish with three games against the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.</p><h2><b>Where do the Saints go after 2024?</b></h2><p>The Saints fired Dennis Allen after a loss to the Carolina Panthers earlier this season, so the search for a new head coach will take place immediately after the season, whether that be Rizzi or a candidate from another team.</p><p>If Rizzi is not retained, the Saints could be linked to candidates like Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Mike Vrabel and more at the start of the offseason. New Orleans could have a head start on other teams when it comes to head coaching candidates, as other teams are likely to fire their coaches after the final day of the regular season.</p><p>Regardless, Kamara is a franchise staple and will try to help the team move into the future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Darren Rizzi provides murky Alvin Kamara injury update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-darren-rizzi-explains-benching-jake-haener-vs-commanders');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Darren Rizzi explains why he benched Jake Haener vs. Commanders');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Darren-Rizzi-explains-why-he-benched-Jake-Haener-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Darren Rizzi explains why he benched Jake Haener vs. Commanders</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-15T14:26:44-08:00">December 15th, 2:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-15T14:28:40-08:00">December 15th, 2:28pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints debut of Jake Haener ended abruptly on Sunday. That’s because interim head coach Darren Rizzi pulled him early against the Washington Commanders. The decision arrived <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-jake-haener-brutal-play-new-orleans-low-not-seen-since-2002">after Haener hit a new franchise low</a>.</p><p>Haener ended the afternoon completing just four passes out of 10 attempts, 49 yards, and one interception. It marked the worst output for the Saints’ air attack during the first half since the 2002 season, per ESPN research. Haener watched Spencer Rattler takeover and nearly lead the upset of Washington. New Orleans, however, fell 20-19 and dropped to 5-9 overall.</p><p>Why did Rizzi feel the need to pull Haener so quickly? Surprisingly, the Saints head coach <a href="https://x.com/MikeTriplett/status/1868410607080190267" rel="noopener">explained it wasn’t performance related</a>, per Mike Tripplett of NewOrleans.com.</p><p>“We did not play the game we wanted to play in the first half. That wasn’t all on the quarterback,” Rizzi said.</p><p>Yet: “I just felt like and the offensive coaches felt like we needed a spark.”</p><h2><b>How much did Saints struggle with Jake Haener vs. Commanders?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jake-Haener-pressured-.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Haener was playing in his first regular season game since going in the fourth round to New Orleans in 2023. But Sunday marked Haener’s first December action since the 2022 L.A. Bowl while with Fresno State.</p><p>Even as a young QB, rust surfaced as a possibility for Haener. The offense had trouble moving the football against the Dan Quinn-led Commanders defense. Although, a holding penalty nullified one first down. Marquez Valdes-Scantling also dropped a crucial pass that would’ve given the Saints a first down.</p><p>Washington, however, went straight after Haener immediately. Daron Payne tussled Haener down for an 11-yard sack on the first drive, forcing an early Saints punt. New Orleans’ next four drives concluded like this: punt, interception, then two more punts. Mike Sainristil became responsible for the first half interception of Haener.</p><p>Rattler resumed QB1 duties in the second half. The change ignited the offense on the opening second half drive. The offense marched 71 yards down the field in six plays, ending with a trick play. Cedrick Wilson took a double pass then hit Alvin Kamara for the 21-yard touchdown to slice the lead to 17-7.</p><p>New Orleans never sent out the punting team throughout the second half. Rattler guided three more scoring drives — two ending in field goals and the last resulting in a short one-yard touchdown throw to Foster Moreau.</p><p>Rizzi sounded like a coach who didn’t want to degrade his original starting quarterback for Washington. However, the change in QB sparked the Saints and nearly completed the upset. Rizzi, though, opted to go for two-points with no time left in the second half. Rattler’s pass fell incomplete and the Commanders escaped.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Darren Rizzi explains why he benched Jake Haener vs. Commanders

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-jake-haener-brutal-play-new-orleans-low-not-seen-since-2002');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Jake Haener benched after fueling New Orleans low not seen since 2022');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Jake-Haeners-brutal-play-fuels-New-Orleans-low-not-seen-since-2002.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Jake Haener benched after fueling New Orleans low not seen since 2022</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-15T12:06:28-08:00">December 15th, 12:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-15T12:06:28-08:00">December 15th, 12:06pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Saints went with Jake Haener as their starting quarterback in Week 15 since Derek Carr was injured, and it hasn’t worked out well for them so far. The offense is setting new lows after their first-half performance, according to Saints reporter Katherine Terrell.</p><p>“Per ESPN Research: The Saints’ 38 yards were their fewest in a half since the 2nd half against the Bengals on Dec. 22, 2002. Aaron Brooks was the starting QB and Jim Haslett was the head coach. Jake Haener would have been 5 years old at the time,” Terrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The Saints were only down 14-0 going into halftime, so things could have been worse, but if they want to win this game, the offense has to be better. To give themselves a chance, they benched Haener and started Spencer Rattler in the second half of the game.</p><h2>Jake Haener starting at QB for Saints</h2><p>Derek Carr suffered a fractured left hand and a concussion in their game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 14, which led to Jake Haener taking over the starting spot this week. Before stepping out on the field, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-jake-haener-drops-immediate-reaction-to-starting-in-week-15">Haener seemed ready for the opportunity</a> to start and try to lead the Saints to a win.</p><p>“Listen, I am going to be confident. I am going to let it rip,” Haener told reporters Friday, via the Saints’ X page. “I’ve worked too hard to go in there with that mentality of ‘don’t screw up.’</p><p>“I’m going to show everybody what I’m capable of doing. And let the guys know I’m confident in doing that. You go and win this game, things can change. It’s a 1-0 mentality. Beat the Commanders and show everyone what Jake Haener can do on Sunday.”</p><p>The Saints are 5-8, and how the NFC South has shaped up over the past few weeks, they could have a chance to win the division if they take care of business. On the other hand, it hasn’t been the best season for the Saints, and it will take a lot for them to string together some wins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Saints’ Jake Haener benched after fueling New Orleans low not seen since 2022

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/commanders-news-washington-makes-roster-moves-ahead-of-saints-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders make flurry of roster moves ahead of Saints clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Commanders-news-Washington-makes-flurry-of-roster-moves-ahead-of-Saints-clash.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders make flurry of roster moves ahead of Saints clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-14T14:29:30-08:00">December 14th, 2:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-14T15:13:06-08:00">December 14th, 3:13pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders have made <a href="https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1868038592570036454" rel="noopener">several roster adjustments</a> ahead of their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/commanders-news-marshon-lattimore-blasts-new-orleans-trade-week-15">Week 15 matchup against the New Orleans Saints</a>, including placing wide receiver Noah Brown on injured reserve. NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that the team also activated wide receiver Jamison Crowder from injured reserve and elevated kicker Greg Joseph to the active roster.</p><p>Brown, who joined the Commanders after training camp, has been a key target for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels this season. The 27-year-old receiver totaled 453 yards on 35 receptions with one touchdown before sustaining a “significant internal injury” during the team’s Week 14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.</p><p>Head coach Dan Quinn earlier described the injury as one that will “knock him out for a bit,” and the move to IR will likely sideline Brown for the remainder of the season.</p><h2><b>Commanders place Noah Brown on IR ahead of Week 15 vs. Saints</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Noah-Brown-85-reacts-after-a-first-down-reception.jpg"><figcaption>© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>To bolster their receiving corps, the Commanders activated Crowder from IR. Crowder has played in just two games this season, recording one reception for five yards. The veteran receiver, however, is no stranger to success with Washington, having posted a career-high 847 yards on 67 receptions with seven touchdowns in 2016.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/commanders-news-washington-claims-ex-patriots-wr-after-noah-brown-injury">Commanders also claimed wide receiver KJ Osborn</a> earlier in the week after his release from the New England Patriots. Osborn appeared in seven games for the Patriots this season, logging 57 receiving yards and a touchdown. His best season came in 2020 with the Minnesota Vikings, where he tallied 655 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.</p><p>In addition to their changes at wide receiver, Washington elevated kicker Greg Joseph to the active roster. Joseph, who previously played for the New York Giants this season, has made 13 of 16 field-goal attempts, including a long of 52 yards, and remains perfect on six extra-point tries.</p><p>The Washington Commanders, currently 8-5 and second in the NFC East, are looking to secure a pivotal win against the New Orleans Saints (5-8) before facing the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) in Week 16. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/commanders-jayden-daniels-backs-coach-controversial-call-eagles-loss">Washington lost their first meeting with Philadelphia in Week 11</a>, 26-18, and will need to be at full strength as they aim to keep their playoff aspirations on track.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders make flurry of roster moves ahead of Saints clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/saints-news-derek-carr-final-week-15-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Saints’ Derek Carr gets final Week 15 injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Saints-news-Derek-Carr-gets-final-Week-15-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Saints’ Derek Carr gets final Week 15 injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-14T14:04:06-08:00">December 14th, 2:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-14T14:04:06-08:00">December 14th, 2:04pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">New Orleans Saints</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Going into the weekend, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr was listed as doubtful for Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Commanders with both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-leaves-giants-clash-injury">a fractured left hand and a concussion that he suffered on one devastating play</a> late in the game against the New York Giants last weekend.</p><p>Given the severity of both of these injuries, it seems reasonable to believe that Carr’s season is <i>likely </i>over, though the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-derek-carr-season-likely-over-fracturing-hand-giants">Saints have yet to rule the 11-year veteran out for the season</a>. Until Saturday afternoon, they hadn’t even ruled Carr out <i>this Sunday. </i>However, according to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, Carr was <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1868038808933155137" rel="noopener">officially downgraded to out</a> against the Commanders.</p><p>Carr is 5-5 as the Saints starter this season, and 14-13 since joining the franchise ahead of the 2023 season. The absence of the 33-year-old signal caller opens the door for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/saints-news-jake-haener-drops-immediate-reaction-to-starting-in-week-15">Jake Haener, a second-year 4th round pick out of Fresno State, to get his first career start</a> as the Saints continue to fight to remain in postseason contention under interim head coach Darren Rizzi.</p><h2><b>Saints’ slim playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of Jake Haener </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jake-Haener-gets-ready-to-throw-a-pass.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jake Haener will be getting his first career start on Sunday afternoon, but due to injuries to both Carr and Taysom Hill throughout the season, he <i>has </i>seen the field this year. In limited action, Haener has completed 14-of-29 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. To get himself ready for the difficult challenge that the Commanders defense will present him, Haener has been <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/derek-carr-offers-classy-gesture-saints-jake-haener-before-first-career-start" rel="noopener">leaning on the experience</a> of Derek Carr.</p><p>“Derek has been awesome this week,” Haener said earlier in the week, per Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated. “Super supportive. He’s been watching film with me every morning, just giving his two cents on what the Commanders do and how they present a challenge.”</p><p>Carr even went ahead and gifted Haener and his family 10 tickets to his box suite inside of the Caesars Superdome so they could watch the 25-year-old make his first career NFL start.</p><p>Coincidentally, Jake Haener, Derek Carr, and Carr’s older brother David Carr are the only three quarterbacks in Fresno State history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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