The New Orleans Saints likely will have a third starting quarterback in as many weeks on Monday.
Spencer Rattler is in line to draw the start if Derek Carr is ruled out as expected for the contest at Green Bay, Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi said on Thursday.
Carr hurt his left (non-throwing) hand in New Orleans’ 14-11 win over the New York Giants on Dec. 8. He sat out the Saints’ 20-19 defeat against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, and he didn’t practice on Thursday.
Rizzi said of Carr, “If he was done for the season, we would’ve put him on (injured reserve) by now and we would’ve shut him down. It’s just not the case. … He had one of his best days (Thursday), so as soon as he’s able to function and as soon as he’s able to go out there and get some functionality back in his hand, we’ll do that.”
Jake Haener got his first NFL start in Carr’s place against Washington and was pulled after completing just 4 of 10 passes for 49 yards with an interception.
Rattler took over and connected on 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards, hitting Foster Moreau for a 1-yard touchdown pass as time expired. His pass on the subsequent two-point-conversion attempt was incomplete, and the Saints lost.
When Carr was sidelined from Week 6 through Week 8, Rattler got the starts and lost all three contests while completing 59.6 percent of his passes for a total of 571 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Also missing the Saints’ Thursday practice was running back Alvin Kamara, who has a groin ailment that leaves him doubtful for Monday, according to Rizzi. The coach listed Kamara’s status as week-to-week.
“The initial tests were, it wasn’t really going to be that bad, and it’s just a little bit more significant, so a little bit more missed time,” Rizzi said.
Kamara leads the Saints with 950 rushing yards, and he has six touchdowns on the ground this year.
The Saints (5-9) are still technically in the playoff race ahead of their Monday game against the Packers (10-4).
–Field Level Media