Ridiculous Saints stat shows New Orleans fell for fool's gold with Derek Carr
By Jack Posey
Following a dramatic breakup between two partners of eight years, Derek Carr and the Raiders, Derek decided to take his talents to the Big Easy and join the quarterback-needy Saints. New Orleans, a team that always seems to be in cap trouble, signed Carr to a massive four-year $150 million contract. Through 11 games, Carr hasn’t made much of a difference for a mediocre Saints team.
Despite posting eye-popping numbers nearly every year for the Raiders (35,222 yards and 99 touchdowns in his Raiders career), Carr was only able to lead the Raiders to the playoffs twice. The first time, in 2016, he was unable to play in the loss due to an injury. The second time, in 2021, he lost to Joe Burrow and the Bengals in the first round. Now, the Saints are experiencing first-hand Carr’s inability to elevate a team’s performance.
Saints stat makes Derek Carr's poor performance look even worse
When you first glance at the stats, Carr’s passing yardage isn’t bad. The number is 2,535, which is close to passers like Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. Then, as you take a close look at his season stats it gets even worse. Ten touchdowns to five interceptions. Yuck. Their offense is only averaging 20.8 points per game this season.
UPDATED: Saints have scored 3 TDs on their last 32 possessions. The TDs came on:
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 26, 2023
2 TD passes from Jameis Winston (when Carr was hurt)
1 TD pass from Taysom Hill (with Carr on sideline) https://t.co/dlujtlA7Px
New Orleans fans shield your eyes because somehow this gets even worse for Carr. Carr has not led the offense into the end zone in 32 possessions. During that time frame, the team has scored just three touchdowns. Two of those came in Week 10 when backup Jameis Winston stepped in for an injured Carr. The other came from do-it-all player Taysom Hill when he threw a touchdown in Week 9.
Saints fans got the full Carr experience Sunday when he led the team to five field goals, throwing a pick-six for 304 yards in a loss that moved the team into second in the NFC South.
Carr and the offense will need to figure out how to score more frequently. After facing the Lions in Week 13, the Saints face a remaining schedule of games that are easily winnable and can propel them into the playoffs.