Derek Carr sustained not one, not two, but three different injuries in the Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback suffered a concussion and rib and right shoulder injuries. With three separate ailments, it’s safe to assume he is officially out for the Carolina Panthers home game on Sunday — or not?
Status of Derek Carr Revealed Ahead of Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Carr is on track to line up behind center ahead of the Week 14 battle at the Superdome.
The veteran passer officially cleared concussion protocol on Friday afternoon. He ended up becoming a full participant in the Saints’ Friday practice per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
#Saints QB Derek Carr, despite dealing with a concussion, ribs, and right shoulder injuries, was a full participant today. He still needs to clear the final concussion protocol test to play. He's listed as questionable.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2023
With Carr in the process of being cleared for Sunday, it’ll mean he has to prepare for the Panthers’ defense in a short span.
Yet, in an interview with Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate/Times-Picayune, Carr revealed that he’s comfortable with preparing for the Panthers in the short time he’s been given.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Carr said per Johnson’s report. “It was a few more hours, maybe, into the day. But those are the sacrifices you make, especially this late in the year when everyone is dealing with stuff. Everyone has got a broken something, dealing with this, or dealing with that. I got my treatment, I did my protocol stuff, but I also, most importantly, made sure that I did everything I need to do to accomplish my job.”
Can the Saints Still Take Control of the NFC South?
When the Saints fell to the Lions, it set them slightly back in the playoff race.
While not a divisional loss, the defeat placed New Orleans at 5-7 overall. Meanwhile, the rival Atlanta Falcons caught up to the Saints by winning their game over the New York Jets, which moved them to 6-6 overall.
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The Saints now find themselves not only behind the Falcons but also the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — despite the Bucs having an identical record to the Saints. That’s because the Bucs won the last meeting with the Saints 26-9 back on Oct. 1.
With Carr on the road to being healthy enough for the 1-11 Panthers, he’ll be needed to navigate the Saints through what still is a winnable NFC South division.
Fortunately for Carr and N.O., the Saints don’t face anyone above .500 at the moment for the rest of the season. Only the 6-6 Los Angeles Rams and a late-season rematch with the Falcons represent the teams with the best record remaining on the Saints’ schedule. Along with a Panthers team heading for another reset, the 4-8 New York Giants and the 5-7 Bucs are still leftover.
But this is a Saints team that will likely need to win out the next five games to ensure they can represent the NFC South come playoff time. And if Carr isn’t healthy enough to finish out, then New Orleans will have to pivot toward Jameis Winston who, like Carr, is yet to win his first career NFL playoff game.
