There it is: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill both reported Sunday morning that the Saints will start Derek Carr at quarterback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Underhill adds that Carr “had no pain” in his injured throwing shoulder after participating in Friday’s final practice session, and he’s feeling well enough to play during Sunday’s pregame warmups.
So it’ll be Carr under center at the Caesars Superdome, not his backup Jameis Winston. This all lines up with what the team said throughout the week: so long as Carr could manage the pain in his shoulder while throwing without mechanical limitations, he’ll be good to go. That’s the case in the final hours leading up to the game, so he’s going to play.
Hopefully he can help the team. The Saints go into Week 4 tied with the Bucs on top of the NFC South, with the Atlanta Falcons facing a 10-point deficit to the Jacksonville Jaguars overseas in England. If that lead holds and the Falcons fall to 2-2, Carr and the Saints could take an early lead on the division by knocking the Bucs down a peg.
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