What happened to Derek Carr? Saints QB taken off the field during MNF clash vs Chiefs
Derek Carr's night for the New Orleans Saints went from bad to worse after he was forced out injured in the fourth quarter of the Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs. With New Orleans trailing 23-13, they needed a big play and decided to go for it on a fourth down. Kansas City knew what was coming and dialed up an all-out blitz and rushed eight defenders.
Even though Derek Carr managed to get the ball away, and it very nearly could have been a reception had wide receiver Tipton reeled it in instead of letting it go through his hands, he was tackled by a couple of defenders and knocked to the ground. He immediately grabbed his sides and looked in discomfort.
The Saints quarterback was then taken into the blue tent on the sidelines but worse news was to follow as he was then taken into the locker room. It was eventually reported that Carr had suffered an oblique injury and was questionable to return to the game.
Derek Carr's performance prior to injury reminds Saints of his worst performances against Chiefs
Before Derek Carr was the starter for the Saints, he had the same role with the Raiders. He had to play Kansas City twice every year, including once at their home. And his performances for Las Vegas left a lot to be desired in those matchups. At Arrowhead, he had a 1-8 record coming into this game.
And his output did not improve even though he was now with the Saints. Even though the Chiefs were leading 23-13 when he went out, this was not a close game. Had Kansas City been better in the red zone, this would have been a rout. JuJu Smith-Schuster had his pocket picked in the endzone. Patrick Mahomes failed multiple times to close promising drives. Harrison Butker, normally always reliable, missed a field goal.
Despite getting a boatload of opportunities, Derek Carr could not do much. He had 18 completions in 28 attempts and just 165 yards. Two touchdowns and one interception gave him a passer rating of 89.1. But a better measure of how the game went perhaps was the fact that Kansas City had 18 minutes worth of possession more than New Orleans.
Jake Haener came in as the backup because the starting Saints quarterback did not return to the game. However, he did not have enough time or opportunities to make an impact as the final score was 26-13 in the Chiefs' favor.