Derek Carr adds injury to insult on Monday Night Football vs. Chiefs

Derek Carr's performance on Monday Night Football between the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs was the good, the bad and the ugly. The good? Two touchdowns despite being pressured on just over half of his drop backs. The bad? The quarterback picked up an oblique injury and had to leave the game before the final drive. The ugly? Well, we talked about that here.

The loss was frustrating for a variety of reasons but defeat is the least of the Saints concerns leaving Kansas City. Carr's health was a frustrating throughline in 2023 even though he started all 17 games. He had to be replaced by backup Jameis Winston on multiple occasions and was on the brink of an injury exit seemingly every game.

Now, after five weeks of the 2024 season, he's dealing with another injury.

After the game, head coach Dennis Allen told reporters Carr has an issue with his left side but didn't provide further updates. It's not clear if this is the kind of injury that could cause the quarterback to miss any games. The Saints host the Buccaneers on short rest on Sunday.

Who is Derek Carr's backup on the Saints?

If Carr can't play, the Saints have two options: Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler.

Haener, a fourth-round draft pick out of Fresno State in 2023, came in for Carr at the end of the game on Monday night. He was 2-of-7 for 17 yards while running for 11 yards on two carries. It was a meaningless drive ultimately, but it didn't do much to instill confidence.

Rattler is the more intriguing option. The recent fifth-round pick started two seasons at South Carolina and another 1.5 at Oklahoma. His ceiling is higher than Haener's and he showed some flashes during the preseason. However, he's the rookie and his lack of experience in the NFL could keep him on the bench.

Carr and the Saints managed to stay in the game thanks in large part to a defense that limited the Chiefs to four field goals on five attempts. They trailed by just three early in the fourth quarter.

However, any hopes of completing a comeback were dashed by the time the Saints turned the ball over on downs with nine minutes to play. The Chiefs drained more than six of those off the clock on a game-sealing touchdown drive.