The Bucs are heading to New Orleans on Sunday to face the Saints, but they might get lucky and dodge Derek Carr altogether. The Saints’ QB, who was having a rough night already, got taken out with an oblique injury during Monday’s loss to the Chiefs—because who doesn’t love a dramatic exit, right? With just over six minutes left, Carr’s oblique decided to call it quits, so off he went to the blue tent before being whisked away to the locker room for further "evaluation."
Enter backup quarterback Jake Haener—remember him? Probably not, because he’s barely seen the field. This guy, a fourth-round pick from Fresno State, has managed to throw a whopping two completions in three games. Yeah, you heard that right. He came in for Carr and couldn’t really get the team moving. Against the Chiefs, Haener went 2-for-7 with an inspiring 17 yards. Oh, and he also ran for a grand total of 11 yards. Let’s just say he didn’t exactly dazzle.
After the game, Carr had the usual athlete optimism:
“Not good, but we’ll get an MRI and that stuff tomorrow.”
Translation: Things don’t look great, but let’s not panic just yet. His injury came while getting smacked by the Chiefs' blitz—always a good time—and twisting his body mid-throw. Seems like that was the final straw for his oblique.
Now, New Orleans kicked off the season hot, averaging a crazy 45.5 points over their first two games. But apparently, their offense hit a wall, and they’ve since dropped three straight games, managing only 16.3 points on average. Yikes.
Meanwhile, the Bucs also had their own sad tale of woe, losing to Atlanta in overtime 36-30 last Thursday. That’s what happens when you play on a short week. But guess what? Now it’s New Orleans’ turn for the quick turnaround, having flown back home from Kansas City at the ass-crack of dawn on Tuesday.
Carr’s set for an MRI to figure out just how bad his oblique is, but it’s a safe bet that we won’t see him at full strength—if he plays at all. Even if he suits up, don't expect him to be launching bombs downfield. More like a guy trying to throw with half his body working. Not ideal.
In case you missed it in all the injury drama, Carr did become the 25th Quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 40,000 yards. But, of course, his celebration plans were put on hold after his injury put him on the sidelines. So far this season, Carr’s been solid enough, completing 70.3% of his passes for 989 yards, eight touchdowns, and four picks. He even tossed two TDs before the Chiefs took him down for good.
So, if Carr can’t go, Tampa Bay could find themselves squaring off against Haener, the backup QB with a resume that reads like a bad joke. Haener, standing at 6-1 and weighing 200 pounds, might make his first NFL start on Sunday. Or if things get really wild, maybe the Saints will dig deep and rollout their third-string guy, Spencer Rattler, a rookie they picked up in the fifth round this year. Either way, it doesn’t exactly scream “offensive firepower.”
Last season, the Bucs and Saints split their series, both finishing 9-8. But Tampa Bay had the last laugh by winning the tiebreaker and claiming the NFC South crown. Fast forward to now, and the Saints are sitting at 2-3 with a 1-1 record in the division (they lost to Atlanta and beat Carolina). Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is 3-2 but 0-1 in the division after their loss to the Falcons.
But wait, the Saints’ injury woes don’t stop at Carr. Their offensive line is in shambles. Starting center Erik McCoy? Injured reserve. Backup center Shane Lemieux? Also on IR. The guy holding things together, Lucas Patrick, got the nod to start at center against the Chiefs. It’s basically a patchwork situation over there. And just to make things more fun, guard Cesar Ruiz, a first-round pick from 2020, missed Monday’s game and is questionable for Sunday. And tight end Taysom Hill? Yeah, he sat out the Chiefs game too, because why not?
On the defensive side of things, it's no better. Defensive ends Payton Turner and Tanoh Kpassagnon missed the Chiefs game, and linebackers Willie Gay and Peter Werner were also out. To top it off, safety Will Harris pulled a hamstring against Kansas City and didn’t make it back onto the field. So, in short, the Saints are a little banged up.
But hey, that’s the NFL for you—where injuries and chaos reign supreme.
Stay tuned to see which version of the Saints shows up on Sunday...
The Bucs are heading to New Orleans on Sunday to face the Saints, but they might get lucky and dodge Derek Carr altogether. The Saints’ QB, who was having a rough night already, got taken out with an oblique injury during Monday’s loss to the Chiefs—because who doesn’t love a dramatic exit, right? With just over six minutes left, Carr’s oblique decided to call it quits, so off he went to the blue tent before being whisked away to the locker room for further "evaluation."
Enter backup quarterback Jake Haener—remember him? Probably not, because he’s barely seen the field. This guy, a fourth-round pick from Fresno State, has managed to throw a whopping two completions in three games. Yeah, you heard that right. He came in for Carr and couldn’t really get the team moving. Against the Chiefs, Haener went 2-for-7 with an inspiring 17 yards. Oh, and he also ran for a grand total of 11 yards. Let’s just say he didn’t exactly dazzle.
After the game, Carr had the usual athlete optimism:
“Not good, but we’ll get an MRI and that stuff tomorrow.”
Translation: Things don’t look great, but let’s not panic just yet. His injury came while getting smacked by the Chiefs' blitz—always a good time—and twisting his body mid-throw. Seems like that was the final straw for his oblique.
Now, New Orleans kicked off the season hot, averaging a crazy 45.5 points over their first two games. But apparently, their offense hit a wall, and they’ve since dropped three straight games, managing only 16.3 points on average. Yikes.
Meanwhile, the Bucs also had their own sad tale of woe, losing to Atlanta in overtime 36-30 last Thursday. That’s what happens when you play on a short week. But guess what? Now it’s New Orleans’ turn for the quick turnaround, having flown back home from Kansas City at the ass-crack of dawn on Tuesday.
Carr’s set for an MRI to figure out just how bad his oblique is, but it’s a safe bet that we won’t see him at full strength—if he plays at all. Even if he suits up, don't expect him to be launching bombs downfield. More like a guy trying to throw with half his body working. Not ideal.
In case you missed it in all the injury drama, Carr did become the 25th Quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 40,000 yards. But, of course, his celebration plans were put on hold after his injury put him on the sidelines. So far this season, Carr’s been solid enough, completing 70.3% of his passes for 989 yards, eight touchdowns, and four picks. He even tossed two TDs before the Chiefs took him down for good.
So, if Carr can’t go, Tampa Bay could find themselves squaring off against Haener, the backup QB with a resume that reads like a bad joke. Haener, standing at 6-1 and weighing 200 pounds, might make his first NFL start on Sunday. Or if things get really wild, maybe the Saints will dig deep and rollout their third-string guy, Spencer Rattler, a rookie they picked up in the fifth round this year. Either way, it doesn’t exactly scream “offensive firepower.”
Last season, the Bucs and Saints split their series, both finishing 9-8. But Tampa Bay had the last laugh by winning the tiebreaker and claiming the NFC South crown. Fast forward to now, and the Saints are sitting at 2-3 with a 1-1 record in the division (they lost to Atlanta and beat Carolina). Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is 3-2 but 0-1 in the division after their loss to the Falcons.
But wait, the Saints’ injury woes don’t stop at Carr. Their offensive line is in shambles. Starting center Erik McCoy? Injured reserve. Backup center Shane Lemieux? Also on IR. The guy holding things together, Lucas Patrick, got the nod to start at center against the Chiefs. It’s basically a patchwork situation over there. And just to make things more fun, guard Cesar Ruiz, a first-round pick from 2020, missed Monday’s game and is questionable for Sunday. And tight end Taysom Hill? Yeah, he sat out the Chiefs game too, because why not?
On the defensive side of things, it's no better. Defensive ends Payton Turner and Tanoh Kpassagnon missed the Chiefs game, and linebackers Willie Gay and Peter Werner were also out. To top it off, safety Will Harris pulled a hamstring against Kansas City and didn’t make it back onto the field. So, in short, the Saints are a little banged up.
But hey, that’s the NFL for you—where injuries and chaos reign supreme.
Stay tuned to see which version of the Saints shows up on Sunday...
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