The Saints won on Sunday, but quarterback Derek Carr paid a heavy price. Carr exited the Saints' 14-11 victory early with a left hand injury as well as a possible concussion. The Saints are fearing that Carr may have suffered a fracture to his injured hand, according to ESPN. The injury has put Carr's status for next week's game against the Commanders in jeopardy.
Carr sustained both injuries on a nine-yard run with just over nine minutes left. Despite his absence, the Saints held on for a three-point win after the Giants missed a field goal with 11 seconds left.
"The thing is, before the series even started, he was just talking about how he was going to lay it on the line," Saints tight end Juwan Johnson said of Carr. "And that's the true example of laying it out on the line. ... He cares about his team a lot and I'll always go to war with somebody like that. It sucks that he got hurt from it, but I respect the decision for what he did. He's just trying to win."
Carr missed three games earlier this year due to injury. He was replaced in those games by rookie Spencer Rattler, who struggled as New Orleans failed to win a single game over that span. Jake Haener, a 2023 fourth-round pick, replaced Carr during the end of Sunday's game.
Injuries have been an ongoing issue this season for the Saints, who are now 5-8 following a 2-0 start. New Orleans has somewhat salvaged this season, though, as it has won three of its past four games under interim head coach Darren Rizzi.
