Saints quarterback injury updates will get boo birds going early

All the pressure is on the New Orleans Saints to win on Sunday. They may be a paltry 5-7 on the season, but are only a game back of the 6-6 first-place Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South race. New Orleans still has to host its arch rival at the end of the season, but Atlanta enters Sunday's home date vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 3-0 in-division with wins over all three of their rival teams already.

With only five games left, the Saints cannot let a gimme one like Sunday's afternoon affair with the putrid Carolina Panthers go to the wayside. This game is at home vs. an 1-11 team that already fired its head coach. But despite all that, New Orleans could be up against it from the quarterbacking perspective. Starter Derek Carr is working his way back from a concussion suffered last weekend.

He may be listed as questionable for Sunday's gotta-have-it game vs. Carolina, but Carr is not alone in dealing with injuries. The Saints' Inspector Gadget Taysom Hill is saddled with foot and left hand injuries. He missed a third straight practice on Friday. If neither are able to go, it will be The Jameis Winston Show for the Saints at home in a game that could inevitably define their season. Good times!

Factor in Hill playing better football of late over Carr, and you can understand the issue at hand.

It may only be year one for Carr in New Orleans, but he is quickly falling out of favor with the fan base.

New Orleans Saints QBs may be between rock and a hard place on Sunday

While the Saints can certainly make up ground in the NFC South race between them, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, as the Falcons host the Buccaneers on Sunday as well, a brutal loss at home to toothless Carolina could be the final nail in the coffin of Dennis Allen's tenure as head coach. He may be allowed to coach out the rest of the year, but it is hard to see the Saints as a playoff team with a Carolina loss.

Truth be told, I would expect for both Carr and Hill to try and play in this one. Carr more than Hill, as it would be such a shame if he got hurt in a game the Saints should be good enough to win vs. lousy Carolina. However, if Carr does not look sharp, I would be quick to swap him out for Winston in this one. Because wins are so precious, the Saints cannot afford to drop to 5-8 with a loss on Sunday.

Overall, this has been a frustrating season for the Saints to watch from afar. Carr was supposed to be the best quarterback in the division. Frankly, he has been outplayed by Baker Mayfield all year long in Tampa Bay. Even the inconsistent Desmond Ridder has inspired more hope in his team down in Atlanta than Carr has up to this point. Now is the time for the Saints to finally try to put it all together.

Pressure either makes you or breaks you, as we wait to see what will happen to the Saints on Sunday.