New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr could miss his comeback this NFL season due to multiple fractures to his left hand. However, interim coach Darren Rizzi doesn’t believe a return against the Green Bay Packers is out of the question, even though Carr has not yet been cleared from the concussion protocol.
Derek Carr, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, is probably facing the end of the season. A report from NFL Network suggests that his multiple fractures to his left hand make him extremely unlikely to return this season. However, the day before, New Orleans’ interim coach Darren Rizzi kept open the option of naming Carr for Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, even though Carr has not yet received the official OK from the concussion protocol. Instead of in the narrow 19:20 defeat against the Washington Commanders, Spencer Rattler acted as a playmaker and almost ensured a comeback victory.
The Saints (5-9) will face Carr’s former club, the Las Vegas Raiders, in Week 17 in New Orleans on Dec. 29. This encounter will probably increase the 33-year-old playmaker’s motivation to take action against his old team.
Carr suffered the injury on December 8th in a 14-11 win over the New York Giants when he fell head first while attempting a diving attempt and braced himself with his left hand. Such non-displaced fractures take around four weeks to heal, but with a soft splint, Carr may be able to return more quickly with the approval of team doctors. There are 15 days between the date of injury and kickoff in Green Bay.
Rizzi also contradicted a previous NFL Network report that Carr suffered a “significant fracture.” The day after the game against New York, Rizzi called some of the information about Carr’s injury “a little wrong.”
Rizzi also said on Monday that Carr’s return before the end of the season could not be ruled out. Back on October 7th, Carr suffered a strained abdominal muscle in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and did not return until November 3rd against Carolina.