Saints' Spencer Rattler gives blunt assessment of blowout loss to Packers

Shortly after the New Orleans Saints fell to 5-10 via an ugly 34-0 "Monday Night Football" loss at the Green Bay Packers, Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi insisted his players weren't checked out regarding the rest of the season. 

New Orleans rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler didn't hold back while assessing his performance at Lambeau Field in what became the league's first shutout of the season. 

"Just embarrassing," Rattler directly said about his play, as shared by Rashad Milligan of The Advocate. "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."

Playing in place of the injured Derek Carr, Rattler took three sacks and completed 15-of-30 pass attempts for just 153 yards with no touchdowns and an interception versus Green Bay. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, this was only the second time since 2002 that the Saints were shut out in a meaningful game. 

"I know these guys in this locker room, this team, is not just going to lay down and quit," Rattler said about a club that endured a seven-game losing streak this past fall. "We're going to come back to work, grind and just finish this season out, but it's tough."

Credit the first-year pro for wanting to help the Saints finish a lost campaign on a high note, but there are multiple reasons to believe New Orleans could simply go through the motions over the next couple of weeks. Talk about Rizzi possibly winning the full-time job had quieted down even before Monday's defeat, and it's believed a new regime could move on from Carr before the next league year opens in March. 

Despite all of that, Rattler vowed that he and his teammates will play for "pride" and each other during this coming Sunday's home game against the 3-12 Las Vegas Raiders. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed New Orleans as a one-point favorite for that matchup. 

"I know we'll get back to work after Christmas," Rattler added. "We've got a short week, so we have to string together a good week and we have to get a win in the [Caesars Superdome]."