Some good news emerged Tuesday for the New Orleans Saints in the wake of their lopsided loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Derek Carr could return to action for the Saints in their game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday in the Superdome, head coach Darren Rizzi said.
"I'm hoping so," Rizzi said when asked if Carr might be available to play during a conference call with local reporters.
The Saints plan to put Carr through game-like conditions this week in practice to see if he can protect himself and the ball and function physically with his injured left hand, which he fractured two weeks ago in the Saints' 14-11 win against the New York Giants.
"If we can do that," Rizzi said, "then we'll do it (start him). We're not just going to throw him out there just to throw him out there, though."
The injury sidelined Carr for the Saints' last two games, losses to the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers. In his stead, second-year quarterback Jake Haener and rookie Spencer Rattler took turns as the starter.
In the Saints' 20-19 loss to the Commanders, Haener completed 4 of 10 passes for 49 yards in the first half before being benched in favor of Rattler in the second half. He was sacked three times and intercepted once, while recording a passer rating of 16.2.
Rattler didn't fare much better against the Packers on Monday night. He completed 15 of 30 passes for 153 yards and a 51.1 passer rating. He was sacked three times, lost a fumble and threw an interception.
"There were certainly some highs and lows," Rizzi said of Rattler's fourth career start. "... We've got to get rid of those negative plays, for any quarterback, it doesn't matter if you're starting your fourth game or your 400th game."
McCoy, Patrick updates
The news was not as positive for starting offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick.
McCoy avoided a major injury to his right elbow, which forced him out of the game in the first quarter. His status for the Raiders game is uncertain, Rizzi said.
Patrick, though, is expected to miss the final two games of the season with what Rizzi termed "a significant" injury to his knee. Patrick is expected to undergo further medical tests to determine if he needs surgery, Rizzi said.
Shane Lemieux replaced McCoy at center and played the final 49 snaps of the game. Landon Young played the final three snaps at left guard for Patrick.
