According to coach Dennis Allen, Saints quarterback Derek Carr visited a nearby hospital on Sunday to be examined after suffering a right shoulder injury during New Orleans’ 18-17 loss to the Packers in the third quarter.
With Carr’s recent injury, the Saints’ quarterback injuries have now occurred five seasons in a row. Between 2019 and 2020, Drew Brees missed nine games, and Jameis Winston missed the majority of the 2021 season due to an ACL tear before suffering back and foot injuries in the following year.
Due to injuries and COVID-19, the Saints also started Teddy Bridgewater, Trevor Siemian, Ian Book, Taysom Hill, and Andy Dalton during that time period in addition to Brees, Winston, and Carr.
After Carr was declared out of the game in the second half, the Saints went to Winston. When Carr left the game, the Saints led 17-0, but the Packers won thanks to three straight goals in the fourth quarter.
In the final three minutes of the game, Winston drove the club 47 yards to the Green Bay 34 on 10 of his 16 throws for 101 yards, but Saints kicker Blake Grupe missed a possible game-winning field goal.
With 10:51 remaining in the third quarter, Carr was sacked on a third-and-9 play and landed forcefully on his shoulder. His teammates were kneeling next to him as he lay on the ground for a while as athletic trainers attended to his shoulder.
Carr entered the medical tent and made his own way to the sideline. Team physicians examined him there and decided right away that Carr would need to leave the game to get X-rays.
Before being hurt, Carr was 13 of 18 for 103 yards and a touchdown.
If Carr is sidelined for a significant amount of time, Winston will take over as the starter for the third straight season. After the Saints signed Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal in free agency, Winston agreed to take a salary cut in order to remain with the team this season.
Winston replaced an injured Brees in four games in 2020, began seven games in 2021, and started the first three games of the previous campaign. After the team decided to rest him to repair his injuries last year, he did not reclaim his starting position from Dalton.
Winston claimed that after getting harmed, his initial concern was for Carr’s well-being. His next idea was that he should get his helmet and get warmed up.
Following guard Cesar Ruiz’s early exit from the game due to a concussion on Sunday, Carr became the second Saints player to be ruled out.
