Saints QB Derek Carr is expected to miss several weeks due to an oblique injury he suffered in the loss to the Chiefs

Carr is tougher than shoe leather and hasn’t missed a game due to injury since 2017 after suffering a shoulder injury for most of 2023. Garafolo reported that Carr will likely push to play, but the Saints’ medical staff will make the decision for him due to the severity of the oblique injury.

Carr, who was injured late in the Saints’ loss, will likely miss at least the next two games – against the Buccaneers on Sunday and Denver Broncos in Week 7 – which will take place over the next nine days.

Through five games, Carr has completed 90 passes on 128 attempts (70.3) for 989 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He was phenomenal in the Saints’ 2-0 start, but has had some issues during the team’s current three-game break. The Saints scored a total of 91 points in New Orleans’ first two games, but only scored 49 in their last three games.

It remains to be seen whether it will be Haener or Rattler looking to breathe some life into the struggling Saints for now.

If it’s Rattler, the rookie fifth-rounder would be the last first-season signal-caller to get the starting job in 2024, but the first not taken in the first round.

The New England Patriots are expected to give Drake Maye his first start on Sunday, while the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams, the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels and the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix are already firmly entrenched as their club’s QB1s.

At the moment, however, the Saints are reeling and have lost their strong starting quarterback for several weeks. With a three-game break and either Rattler or Haener making their first start on Sunday, New Orleans has reached a crucial point in its season.