Who Dat Nation, last week I said forget the score.
Well, after watching us get beat 34–0 by the Rams, that was a little easier said than done.
This week?
We’ll take that win.
The Saints closed out the preseason Friday night with a 27–24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, and while nobody is hanging a banner for a preseason win, I liked the way this team responded.
More importantly, with the Saints about to cut this roster down to 53, a few guys took advantage of one final opportunity to make their case.
And that’s what Friday night was really about.
Spencer Rattler Did What He Needed to Do
Rattler didn’t need to throw for 300 yards. He needed to look comfortable, protect the football and move the offense.
He did that.
Rattler finished 8-of-10 for 79 yards and added two carries for nine yards, including an 8-yard touchdown run. He didn’t throw an interception, and the Saints scored touchdowns on two of the three drives he directed.
That’s a pretty good night’s work when you’re trying to convince the coaching staff you deserve a spot in that quarterback room.
Did he settle everything?
Probably not.
But he certainly didn’t hurt himself.
Barion Brown Gave Them Something to Think About
This is exactly what you want from a young player in the final preseason game.
Give the coaches a reason to keep talking about you.
Brown only had two rushing attempts, but he turned them into 19 yards and a touchdown, scoring from seven yards out on a jet sweep.
Two touches.
Nineteen yards.
Six points.
That’s called making your opportunities count.
And with roster decisions coming, Brown showed something every offense needs:
Explosiveness.
And Then There’s Daniel Carlson
This might have been the biggest roster statement of the night.
The Saints brought Carlson into a kicking competition late in camp, and Friday night he got his opportunity.
He didn’t waste it.
Carlson hit from 38 yards, made his extra point and then stepped onto the field late in the fourth quarter and drilled a 53-yard field goal that gave New Orleans the 27–24 lead.
That ended up being the game winner.
You want to win a kicking competition?
That’s one hell of a way to make your argument.
Tony’s Three Guys Who Helped Themselves
If I’m looking at Friday night strictly through the eyes of somebody trying to build the final 53, these are my three:
Spencer Rattler. Barion Brown. Daniel Carlson.
Different positions. Different situations.
Same result.
When their opportunity came, they did something with it.
And that’s what preseason football is supposed to be about.
Now Comes the Hard Part
The Saints have seen enough.
Training camp. Joint practices. Three preseason games.
Now Kellen Moore and his staff have to decide who stays and who goes.
There are going to be some tough decisions.
There always are.
But Friday night gave the coaches a few more things to think about — and that’s exactly what some of these guys needed.
The preseason is over.
Now the real games start.
Arizona comes to the Superdome on September 7.
No more auditions.
No more “it’s only preseason.”
Now they count.
And after what we saw against the Rams last week, I’ll gladly take ending August with a win.
27–24. Saints.
We’ll take that one.
We win together. We lose together. We complain together.
And we come back together.
That’s Who Dat Nation.
WHO DAT! ⚜️
— Anthony “Tony” from the Westbank

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