Derek Carr has been sidelined since suffering an injury during the New Orleans Saints’ Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Saints set to visit the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, does Carr have a chance to return for the Week 9 matchup? Let’s go over everything we know.
What Is Derek Carr’s Injury?
Carr suffered an oblique injury late in the Saints’ loss to the Chiefs. The veteran quarterback was in visible pain, and initial reports indicated he would miss time.
Carr sat out the last three games, all losses for the Saints. After starting the season 2-0, largely due to Carr’s excellent play, New Orleans has lost six straight and is now just a game ahead of Carolina for last place in the NFC South.
Carr wasn’t placed on injured reserve and reportedly hasn’t suffered any setbacks. If he can’t play Sunday versus the Panthers, the Saints could start rookie Spencer Rattler for the fourth consecutive game or turn to sophomore Jake Haener.
Is Carr Playing in Week 9?
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on November 3
On Friday, the Saints removed Carr from the injury report. He has recovered enough from his oblique strain and is active.
All signs point toward Carr returning for Sunday’s must-win game.
“I think there’s a possibility, yeah,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen said this past Sunday when asked whether Carr could start Week 9. Allen went a step further on Monday, revealing that Carr will practice this week and that he has a good shot at playing against the Panthers.
“He looked good in the throwing session [on Monday],” Allen said. “I would expect him to be back out at practice on Wednesday, and then we’ll go from there and see what his availability is this week, but I’m optimistic about it.”
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— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 28, 2024
Although Allen couched his remarks about Carr, the Saints’ official website has a headline that reads, “Derek Carr expected back in starting lineup Sunday” — so the cat might be out of the bag.
Carr’s return would be a big deal for New Orleans, especially if he could recapture his early-season form. He is responsible for two of this season’s highest single-game Pro Football Network QB+ Metric grades, posting an 8.72 in Week 1 (which ranks third) and a 77.9 in Week 1 (10th).
In those two games, Carr completed 76.9% of his passes for 443 yards and five touchdowns, along with just one interception. In the three following games, he completed 67.4% of his passes for 546 yards, three scores, and three picks.
If the Saints are to have any chance of getting their season back on track, they’ll need Carr back on the field and playing at his best.
How Might Carr’s Absence Impact Saints if Ruled Out?
Rattler, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, started the last three games and didn’t perform well.
The rookie completed 59.6% of his passes for 571 yards and one TD, along with two interceptions and a whopping 14 sacks. He’s responsible for the 211th-, 213th-, and 229th-ranked PFN QB+ grades this season.
Rattler was benched for Haener in each of the last two games, with the latter seeing the final 28 snaps in last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It is what it is,” Rattler said of the Week 8 benching.
Jake Haener has replaced Spencer Rattler as QB for the Saints against the Chargers pic.twitter.com/vvkPlcZpDZ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 27, 2024
In the loss, Haener completed nine of 17 passes for 122 yards and zero touchdowns while taking two sacks. In five games this season, he has a 48.3% completion percentage, 177 yards, one TD, and zero picks.
We’ll learn more about New Orleans’ QB situation as the week progresses, but at this point, it would be a surprise if anyone other than Carr is under center on Sunday.
