Derek Carr watch Week 10: QB exits game after brutal hit

Saints’ quarterback is in concussion protocol

With Darren Waller on injured reserve, we’ll just be checking in on former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr after the New Orleans Saints’ Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Beyond the scoreboard, Sunday was a tough outing for Carr as he left the game early after taking a brutal hit from Danielle Hunter that put the quarterback in concussion protocol and injured his throwing shoulder.

Derek Carr

• Stats: 13/18, 110 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 1 rush, 10 rushing yards
• Game result: 27-19, Saints lose

Carr went down about midway through the Saints’ second drive of the second half when the Vikings were up 27-3 in the third quarter. Jameis Winston ended up replacing him and capped off that possession with a touchdown, then scored one more a couple of drives later before throwing interceptions on back-to-back possessions to seal the team’s fate.

Winston did throw for more yards (122) and was responsible for the Saints’ only touchdowns on the afternoon, leading some to speculate that there might be a quarterback controversy in the Big Easy. However, Dennis Allen made it clear that Carr is the starter moving forward, assuming he’s healthy.

At the time of writing, there has been no word on the quarterback’s status for New Orleans’ next game, but the team does have a bye and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning that there is “hope” Carr will be back for the team’s next game. This is his second shoulder injury of the season, but the Saints do have a bye week upcoming to give him more time to heal up.

NFC South Standings

1. New Orleans 5-5
2. Tampa Bay 4-5 (0.5 GB)
3. Atlanta 4-6 (1 GB)
4. Carolina 1-8 (3 GB)

The NFC South appears to be the division no team wants to win. Not only did the Saints lose and blow an opportunity to pull away from the pack, but the Falcons couldn’t capitalize and dropped their third game in a row. The Buccaneers did get a win to gain some ground, but they have a date with the 49ers in San Francisco next week. The big matchup in the division comes in two weeks when New Orleans heads to Atlanta and both teams will have two weeks to prepare.