Tag: Update

Tyrann Mathieu won’t return vs. Buccaneers due to wrist injury

Tyrann Mathieu won’t return against the Buccaneers due to a wrist injury. It’s more adversity to deal with on a short week before their next game:

Things went from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints defense in Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Starting safety and team captain Tyrann Mathieu left early with an elbow injury, and was later downgraded. He was ruled out and didn’t return in the second half.

The Saints were already shorthanded at safety with Will Harris going on  injured reserve before the game. After Mathieu went down their only active options were Jordan Howden, Johnathan Abram (called up from the practice squad, and who played through a back injury), and special teams ace J.T. Gray, who has never seen much action on defense.

It’s more losses than a team can reasonably handle, when guys are having to come in from the special teams units and practice squad and handle starter’s reps. It’s just more adversity for Dennis Allen’s team to navigate through the short week before Thursday night’s game against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.

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Chris Olave (concussion) ruled out for the rest of Week 6 vs. Buccaneers

Chris Olave entered the NFL concussion protocol after a big hit against the Buccaneers, and he won’t return for the remainder of the game:


Disaster hit the New Orleans Saints early against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Chris Olave went down hard after a big hit. The team’s best wide receiver took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Zyon McCollum, but the play wasn’t fouled. Olave also fumbled on the play, which was recovered  and returned for a Buccaneers touchdown to extend Tampa Bay’s early lead.

They’re going to miss him. So much of the offense is built around Olave demanding double coverage and extra attention from the opposing  secondary, which creates opportunities for teammates like Rashid Shaheed to work one-on-one. Olave has entered the league concussion protocol and there’s no guarantee he’ll clear it in time to play on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos.

The Saints’ depth at wide receiver is going to be tested. Outside of Olave and  Shaheed, the only other players on their 53-man roster are veteran backup Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookies Bub Means and Maston Tipton. There  are three wideouts on the practice squad including Equanimeous St. Brown, Kevin Austin Jr., and Jermaine Jackson but none of them are eligible to play against the Bucs.

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WATCH: Spencer Rattler’s first pass in the NFL goes for 27 yards

Spencer Rattler’s first pass in the NFL went for 27 yards. It would mean the world if the rookie can make some big plays and keep the Saints in games:

That’s a nice way to start your NFL career. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler took the field for the New Orleans Saints and made an immediate impact, throwing a dart to tight end Juwan Johnson downfield. Johnson made some moves after the catch and gained 27 yards on the play.

It’s good to see Rattler throwing to his big tight end early and often. Johnson went into Week 6’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having totaled just 9 receptions for 70 yards; that’s an average of 7.8 yards per catch and only 14 yards per game. That’s a far cry from his breakout 2022 season or his strong finish in 2023. Offseason foot surgery had slowed him down but it’s not like Derek Carr was looking his way often, either.

The Saints are desperate for Rattler to make a spark. Carr is on the mend with an oblique muscle injury and the team is preparing for their rookie to start three or four games until he’s back. It would mean the world if Rattler can make some big plays and keep them in games, but if nothing else his success could keep fans engaged amid a tough-to-watch losing streak.

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UPDATE: Wisconsin star WR Will Pauling ruled OUT for remainder of game at Rutgers

UPDATE: Wisconsin star WR Will Pauling ruled out for remainder of game at Rutgers

Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling has been ruled out for the rest of the Badgers game at Rutgers with an upper-body injury.

The star receiver went down right before halftime after taking a hit from Rutgers LB Dariel Djabome. Pauling had just caught a pass over the middle from Badgers QB Braedyn Locke, he then lowered his head before the impact from Djabome’s hit forced a fumble.

The Badgers star caught four passes for 49 receiving yards and a touchdown before the injury. His absence will likely lead to an increased snap and target share for redshirt freshman Trech Kekahuna — as was the case after Pauling left last week’s game with a minor lower-body injury.

https://twitter.com/B5Q/status/1845163677776740492

Wisconsin currently leads Rutgers 21-0 with less than 8:15 remaining in the third quarter. The Badgers started red-hot on offense, highlighted by Pauling’s touchdown pass from Locke. The team has gone cold since then — neither team scored from the start of the second quarter to the Badgers’ touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the third.

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Saints, Bucs each rule out 5 players on final Week 6 injury report

The Saints and Buccaneers each ruled out five players on the final Week 6 injury report, with many more questionable or doubtful to play:

The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each ruled out five players on the final Week 6 injury report, with many more questionable or doubtful to play. Those out for New Orleans include starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) and right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), as well as tight end Taysom Hill (rib), linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring), and safety Will Harris.

Tampa Bay’s list is just as long. The Bucs will likely be without running back Rachaad White (foot), who is doubtful, with five others preemptively ruled out. That group includes center Graham Barton (hamstring), cornerback Christian Izien (elbow/groin), wide receivers Trey Palmer (concussion) and Kameron Johnson (ankle) as well as defensive lineman Earneset Brown IV (ribs).

And that doesn’t even get into the players designated as questionable for  both sides. Here’s the full Week 6 injury report with the final word on guys like Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, Mike Evans, and Calijah Kancey:

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Saints share some much-needed good news on updated injury report

The Saints shared some much-needed good news on the Week 6 injury report update. Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and Willie Gay are all making progress:

The New Orleans Saints shared some much-needed good news on Thursday’s updated Week 6 injury report. Running back Alvin Kamara (hand/hip), wide  receiver Rashid Shaheed (hip), and linebacker Willie Gay (hand) are all making progress, as is defensive end Payton Turner (knee). Gay practiced fully on Thursday after being limited for Wednesday’s walkthrough session; the other three didn’t get on the field at all.

But much of the report remains the same. Key players like starting right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), tight end Taysom Hill (rib), and center/guard Lucas Patrick (chest) remain sidelined and are not practicing. On a positive note, running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) has continued to practice fully each day, so he’s well on his way to returning from injured reserve soon. He just  needs to continue stacking good days.

Here’s the full injury report from both teams:

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Report: Saints rookie QB ‘is a strong candidate’ to start in relief of Derek Carr

Report: Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler ‘is a strong candidate’ to start in relief of Derek Carr, but the Saints will weigh their options:

Now this is interesting. After reporting that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple games with an oblique injury, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport added that rookie passer Spencer Rattler “is a strong candidate to get the start” while Carr is on the mend.

That’s surprising given Jake Haener, not Rattler, has been the initial backup for Carr all season. Whether it’s mop-up duty or relief for an injury, it’s been Haener going into games whenever Carr has stepped out. But this might suggest offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak would rather go with Rattler if he’s given a full week of practice reps to prepare for a matchup.

And that would make sense. No one questions whether Rattler is the most talented passer out of the three. The concerns surround his inexperience. Two of the game’s most aggressive defensive coordinators are waiting for him in Todd Bowles (with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Vance Joseph (on the Denver Broncos), so that would be an uphill battle for anyone, especially a rookie making his first two starts. The Saints drafted Rattler in the fifth round this year out of South Carolina.

We’ll see what happens. Rattler and Haener are both viable options, but that also means neither is overwhelmingly favored to a point where it’s an easy call to make. A bad experience out of the gate could doom a quarterback’s career before it starts. Just look at what happened to Carr’s older brother on the Houston Texans way back when.

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Report: Saints starting QB expected to miss multiple games with injury

New Orleans Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple games with an oblique injury he suffered late against the Chiefs:

This is big. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport report that New Orleans Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple games with an oblique injury he suffered late in Monday night’s loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Carr twisted awkwardly while winding up to throw, and that’s going to cost him. The Saints have to play two home games in the next nine days — first against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 13, and then against their old coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Oct. 17.

It’s too soon to say whether injured reserve could be an option for Carr, but expect Jake Haener, not Spencer Rattler, to fill in for him in the meantime. Haener has been the next man up all season as Carr’s principal backup. It’s possible the Saints could shift course and go with the rookie Rattler after giving him a week of practice to prepare, but that feels unlikely.

Hopefully Taysom Hill can return soon to lighten the load. The do-it-all tight end is one of their most valuable playmakers and Klint Kubiak’s offense has missed him while managing just 12 and 13 points in the two games Hill has missed this season. Whoever is starting under center, they’ll need better support and protection than Carr was given.

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Derek Carr dealing with new injury, will learn more after return to New Orleans

Derek Carr is dealing with a new injury after an awkward windup to throw late against the Chiefs. He says he’ll learn more after the team returns to New Orleans:

The last time we saw Derek Carr, he was writhing in pain and clutching at his lower back after his final pass against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. Then he got up slowly, was walked to the blue medical tent on the New Orleans Saints sideline, and then escorted to the locker room for further evaluation. So how was he feeling after the game?

“Not good,” Carr replied, “We’ll get an MRI and all that kind of stuff tomorrow, and figure it out.”

Carr said he wasn’t functional — not able to move and throw how he needed to, and that there wasn’t time for the team medical staff to treat him with just  minutes left in regulation. So he’ll travel back to New Orleans and undergo testing to get a better idea of what’s ailing him after a night’s rest.

But it wasn’t a hard collision that hurt him. Carr said an awkward windup to throw was when he first noticed something was off: “It wasn’t even the hit, honestly. Just when I dropped back, and torqued to throw that ball to (Mason Tipton), that’s when I felt it.”

The Saints announced his injury as an oblique issue, and those have been a problem for them before. Marshon Lattimore missed most of training camp dealing with it. Drew Brees had it flare up a couple of times over the years, too. There’s certainly a possibility it could keep Carr from playing next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If that’s the case, everything the Saints have done and said suggests it would be Jake Haener starting next Sunday, not Spencer Rattler. But we’ll just have to wait for an update once Carr has had the opportunity to go through a thorough evaluation. The only certainty is that the Saints offensive line can’t do as poor a job protecting their quarterback as they did Monday night and expect to win.

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Saints safety Will Harris (hamstring) ruled OUT vs. Chiefs

Saints safety Will Harris suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter and has been ruled out for the rest of the Chiefs game:

The New Orleans Saints have ruled Will Harris out for the rest of the game versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming into the game, Harris was the only player on the Saints defense to have played every snap this season. This obviously won’t be the case any longer.

Harris suffered a hamstring injury trying to catch Xavier Worthy after a catch. Harris pulled up and went down on the Chiefs sideline. After staying down for a bit, he was able to get up and walk across the field under his own power.

The Saints brought Jonathan Abram up from the practice squad for this matchup. Since Harris’ injury, it has been Abram who has stepped up in his place instead of Jordan Howden.

There was an expectation that Abram would see the field over Howden. Harris injury expedited his snaps and enlarged his role. Abram started next to Tyrann Mathieu last year so the duo already have chemistry together.

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