There’s no question that New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Jake Haener had some ups and downs in his first preseason appearance.
In team’s 26-24 win over the Kansas City, he opened up his preseason debut with three consecutive incompletions and an interception in an unsightly fashion as he had to overcome his rookie jitters.
There were less of those in Sunday night’s 22-17 road victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, though, as Haener seemed to pick up right where he left off as a quarterback who was commended for his moxie and ability to come in the clutch when he helped seal the deal with a successful, 76-yard two-minute drill capped off with a touchdown.
Rather than open the contest with some blunders, Haener came out of the gate swinging with a 55-yard strike on the move to former LSU pass-catcher Jontre Kirklin.
The same improvisation ability and ability to make decisions on the fly that was seen in the first game was only built upon as Haener was able to show a broader range of what he was able to do with one NFL appearance under his belt.
Haener was sidelined early on when he entered the game in the first half, evaluated for a concussion after taking a rough hit, but he bounced back quickly with the toughness Bulldogs fans are all too familiar with as one of Haener’s biggest college career moments was when he played through a lower-body injury to upset No. 13 UCLA, 40-37 in 2021.
WOW!
Jake Haener's first pass of the game goes for 55 yards to Jontre Kirklin 🙌#Saints 📺: FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/GBcOizuTYd
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 21, 2023
Another one of his brightest moments of the game came on a well-placed ball sent to Shaq Davis for 18 yards and a third-down conversion.
On 3rd down, Jake Haener to Shaq Davis for 18 yards 👏#Saints 📺 FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/VsZUmRxP52
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 21, 2023
Haener looked more decisive, poised and confident in this matchup, something that was to be expected as it’s heavily discounted in the modern-day that quarterbacks do indeed take time to develop with a steep NFL transition, regardless of the heights of their college achievements.
That’s not to say Haener did not have a handful of misfires with some rookie mistakes, but they were fewer and he was in a much more notable rhythm in his second time around.
The Fresno State alum finished out the contest 11-of-17 passing for 118 yards. He and the Saints will look to maintain an undefeated preseason record as they take on the Houston Texans at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome.
