You can't say Jake Haener didn't show a lot of grit against the Arizona Cardinals. The New Orleans Saints quarterback missed practice last Monday for a surgical procedure to remove skin cancer from his right cheek, then returned to the next training camp session on Wednesday. He went into Saturday night's preseason game with 32 stiches in his face protected only by Steri-Strip bandages. He's scheduled to have those stiches removed the following Monday once the Saints return to Irvine.

It says a lot about Haener's fortitude that he could compartmentalize his personal health while competing for a roster spot, and playing well given the circumstances. He took the field at State Farm Stadium with just a couple of starters surrounding him in young offensive tackles Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning.

Haener's efforts were overshadowed by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler on the third-team offense, who led the Saints to their only touchdown-scoring drive as well as the game-winning field goal. But Haener completed just as many passes as Rattler (9) on four fewer attempts (13), and his 58-yard lob to A.T. Perry was the game's longest play from scrimmage.

So this battle is far from over. We'll see how both passers handle joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers this week ahead of their second preseason game next Saturday.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Jake Haener played against the Cardinals with 32 stitches in his face