SEATTLE (AP) — New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler has made eight NFL starts and is still looking for his first win.
He’ll have his work cut out on Sunday against a Seahawks secondary that already has four interceptions this season, second most of any team in the league.
Rattler, to his credit, has yet to throw a pick this season for the Saints (0-2).
“Their corners are very long, athletic guys, very tall,” Rattler said. “They make plays on the ball. So we’re going to have to work our matchups
and execute our plays well.”
Seattle (1-1) might have to rely on its depth to continue its strong secondary play. All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon and rookie safety Nick Emmanwori are dealing with knee injuries, and Emmanwori sat out Seattle’s 31-17 win over Pittsburgh last week.
So far, the Seahawks' backups have fared well. Cornerback Derion Kendrick intercepted the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers just a few weeks after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.
Coach Mike Macdonald commended director of pro personnel Willie Schneider for acquiring reserves like Kendrick to fill out the roster.
“We talk about the (70-man roster), that’s a critical part of our team, and I think is going to be something that we’re going to be leaning on to have success over the course of year, whether it’s our DBs or whatever position,” Macdonald said.
Seattle has also gotten production out of its front seven. The Seahawks had three sacks against the Steelers, including a career-high 1 1/2 by second-year defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.
“We just have so many guys that have the capability and have the want to dominate games and win games regardless of who we’re playing,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “I think we had glimpses and showed that we could do it at times, but I feel like there’s still another level.”
Williams and the Seahawks' defensive backs should pose plenty of challenges for Rattler and first-year Saints coach Kellen Moore.
“Their back end, obviously there’s some investment there,” Moore said, “but there’s just really talented players who have some ability to play safety to nickel, nickel to outside corner in a few situations, so they can move these pieces around a little.”
The Saints are hoping to get a key offensive lineman back this week, but they could be without another.
Right tackle Taliese Fuaga, a 2024 first-round draft choice, played through a knee injury last Sunday but missed practice this week, when he was listed with both knee and back injuries.
Meanwhile, guard Trevor Penning, who hasn’t played since hurting his foot in the preseason opener, returned to practice this week.
“I obviously want to be out there and play and contribute,” Penning said, noting that he didn’t need surgery this preseason, unlike when he had a similar injury as a rookie in 2023.
“For sure, I was pretty excited” about returning to practice this week, Penning said. “A lot of guys coming up to me were like, ‘You’re way more giddy than usual.’”
When the Seahawks released tight end Noah Fant in July, it showed the franchise had confidence in younger players like AJ Barner and rookie Elijah Arroyo. After that duo was limited to two catches for 7 yards in a Week 1 loss to San Francisco, Barner and Arroyo combined to corral four passes from Sam Darnold for 57 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers.
“We got a few of them who can really do a good job for us,” Darnold said of Seattle's tight ends.
Saints defenders spent this week preparing to face an offense that they practiced against all of last season.
That’s because Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak held the same position in New Orleans in 2024.
“They’re really creative on offense,” Moore said. “They’re really physical in the run game. They create play-action opportunities. They get completions.
“You’ve got to be assignment sound and one guy in the wrong gap creates an explosive, big-time, game-changing run,” Moore added. “The run game is a huge part of this thing, no question about it. You got to do a really good job and play really well on first and second down, to earn the right to play those third downs. And then we’ve got to finish in those third-down situations.”
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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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