Mar 11, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) speaks at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Derek Carr’s Monday night matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs quickly went from bad to worse.
The Saints trailed the Chiefs 23-13 midway through the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
With the visitors facing 4th-and-8 at the Chiefs’ 41, Kansas City executed a perfect blitz that caught Carr off guard. The Saints QB managed to get rid of the football to avoid a sack but still took a massive hit from Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner.
Carr hobbled his way to the Saints’ sideline and eventually made his way to the locker room. The 4-time Pro Bowler was reportedly diagnosed with an oblique injury. Second-year QB Jake Haener replaced Carr for the rest of the game.
Jake Haener is now in at QB for the Saints after Derek Carr was forced out with an injury. pic.twitter.com/VFiWDbLiMx
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 8, 2024
On the Saints’ opening drive, Carr committed a brutal miscue on an aired-out pass that was easily intercepted. The blunder was perhaps a sign of things to come in what ended up as a 26-13 loss for New Orleans.
INT FOR NO. 6 🔥 @AyoCook_6 pic.twitter.com/kdP96T4Mhz
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 8, 2024
Carr left the game with an 18/28 passing clip for 165 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception.
After two stellar weeks to start the 2024 season, Carr was seen as New Orleans’ savior. But it’s been all downhill from there as the Saints have lost their last three contests.
The saving grace for Saints fans on Monday was the epic interception and return one defensive lineman pulled off against Patrick Mahomes.