Who Should I Start? Bailey Zappe or Spencer Rattler

Saturday, January 4, 9:28 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 16 of his 31 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while adding two yards on two carries in a 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. Zappe made his first and only start of the season for the Browns in the finale while showing spotty accuracy and a lack of arm strength in the lopsided loss. His first interception came in the first quarter and was a back-breaker as it was thrown right into the hands of rookie corner Nate Wiggins, who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. The Browns turned to Dorian Thompson-Robinson to lead a drive at the end of the first quarter but he only wound up taking six snaps in the contest before the team reinserted Zappe at the beginning of the second quarter. An unrestricted free-agent heading into the offseason, Zappe will look to catch on as a backup quarterback somewhere ahead of the 2025 season.

Monday, January 6, 2:22 AM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler finished his rookie season with another up-and-down performance in the team's 27-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The fifth-rounder out of South Carolina went 21-for-28 in the first half, completing a pass to 10 different receivers and throwing a touchdown to Dante Pettis along the way. However, he completed just five more passes after halftime, finishing 26-for-42 for 240 yards and the score. To his credit, he stayed free of any turnovers after throwing three picks and fumbling twice in his previous two starts. In his first year as a pro, Rattler saw far more playing time than expected when he was drafted while covering for Derek Carr's (hand) pair of multi-week absences due to injury. The rookie finishes with 1,317 passing yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions with a 57% completion rate.