In a race that went down to the wire – including through the third and final preseason game – second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler nudged across the line ahead of rookie Tyler Shough and was named the starter for the New Orleans Saints' regular-season opener Sept. 7, against Arizona in the Caesars Superdome.

Saints Coach Kellen Moore announced the decision Tuesday, three days after New Orleans dropped a 28-19 decision to Denver in the preseason finale.

"I'm very excited," Rattler said. "Very grateful for the opportunity. Worked my tail off to achieve this and now it's here, and just ready to work with the guys and get this season going. i feel like we're headed in the right direction and everybody is excited right now.

"I want to lead this team, i want to lead these guys and just keep fighting. That's one thing I can promise, is putting my all on that field and i know everybody else will and it's good to gain that confidence from your coach to make that decision."

In preseason, Rattler completed 30 of 43 for 295 yards and a touchdown, with an interception, and ran for 41 yards on seven carries. He also ran for a two-point conversion.

He started six games last season and played the second half of another, and completed 130 of 228 passes for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns, with five interceptions, for an injury-ravaged offense that was missing multiple starters, including receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

"He's done an awesome job this offseason," Moore said. "He's just been consistent, he's made some really good decisions throughout this whole, entire process and his ability to make plays with his arm and his feet have certainly showed up. I'm really, really excited about Spencer. He's earned this opportunity, he's going to do a tremendous job for us.

"At the same time, we're really fortunate we've got Tyler. Love the development that he's had over the course of this entire offseason. He has done a number of things for the first time in his career, just navigating that, and i think that's an important aspect when you're a younger quarterback. Let the whole process play itself out."

Shough completed 36 of 54 passes for 333 yards and a touchdown in preseason, with an interception, and ran three times for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Each showed the ability to rebound from adversity, a characteristic Moore said he wanted to see displayed. Rattler threw a touchdown and ran for the two-point conversion after tossing an interception in the red zone against Jaguars in the second exhibition; Shough ran for a score after losing a fumble against Denver, and threw a touchdown shortly after throwing an interception returned for a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Chargers.

Shough, the Saints' second-round pick (No. 40 overall) this season, is New Orleans' highest-drafted quarterback since the franchise took Archie Manning with the second overall pick in 1971.

Rattler, though, was the more consistent of the two and ultimately, that likely was the deciding factor.

"I thought he did some really good things," Moore said. "i thought he did some really good things, the last couple of weeks of practice he thought he had just consistent performances day in and day out. I think his decision-making, he's taken a really awesome step there. He's making really good decisions with the football; he's an aggressive player, and that's one of his superpowers but he's done a really good job of balancing them out and making really good decisions with the football.

"We feel like he put himself in a position to have a successful start. He's going to give us a heck of a chance to compete and go win some games."