The Saints’ latest fan poll came down to a razor-thin split, but Zack Wilson edged out the field as the player who impressed readers most against the Jaguars.
Wilson finished first with 35% of the vote after turning in a sharp performance in last Saturday’s matchup. The quarterback, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in March after spending last season with the Miami Dolphins, beat out Spencer Rattler in the backup battle and made the most of his chance on the Superdome turf. In his New Orleans debut, the 27-year-old completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown without an interception, good for a 118 QBR.
Michael Heldman was right behind him at 33%, and it’s easy to see why. The Central Michigan UDFA broke out with two sacks, six tackles and three tackles for loss.
He also added a celebration that turned heads, mimicking Dr. Strange’s spell-summoning circles after one of his sacks.
Heldman said the move came from being a big Marvel fan and wanting something different. “No one’s ever hit the Dr.
Strange. That’d be kind of cool.”
There’s more Wilson ahead, too. On Thursday, Kellen Moore didn’t reveal who will start in place of Tyler Shough against the Rams on Saturday, but Wilson is expected to see plenty of action again.
Now the Saints will see whether he can stack another strong outing on top of last week’s work at SoFi Stadium and help push them toward a win.
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Jason Whitlock used the postgame spotlight to go after that decision, criticizing the networks and framing Songs role as part of a broader shift he sees around who gets hired for these jobs. The Rams still move on to the rest of their preseason slate and then the regular season, but the buzz from this one has left an off-field debate hanging around a game the Saints would probably rather file away and forget. [Read more 🡒]
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Saints Backups Just Created A Preseason Problem Fans Cant Ignore
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Alex Cooks pick-six, Jarquez Hunters touchdown run and solid work from Wesley Bailey, Stetson Bennett, CJ Daniels, Austin Blaske and others turned the preseason meeting into a reminder of how much can swing once the starters are gone. For New Orleans, that is the part of August that matters now, because the challenge is no longer just finding flashes, but deciding which reserves can actually help when the games count. [Read more 🡒]