The New Orleans Saints find themselves in the thick of the NFC South race as one of three 6-7 teams in the division with four weeks left in the regular season. Health goes a long way in preserving a team's playoff hopes this time of year and the Saints have dealt with plenty of injuries over the last couple of weeks.
This week is no exception, although they did get very good news regarding the status of quarterback Derek Carr. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that Carr is doing well health wise and the veteran QB is off of the week's initial injury report, per Katherine Terrell.
Carr has been banged up virtually all season and was limited in practice last week before getting in full reps on Friday. In addition to multiple concussions, Carr also sprained his AC joint and fractured three ribs throughout the season.
Despite all of that he has yet to miss a game, starting all 13 so far in his first season in New Orleans. That's a good way to endear yourself to a city, though Carr's play hasn’t exactly wowed Saints fans.
The four-time Pro Bowl QB averages 221.5 passing yards per game along with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 89.4 passer rating ranks 17th among qualified quarterbacks.
On the other side of injury news, star wide receiver Chris Olave missed Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury, per Erin Summers. It's the third consecutive week Olave has landed on the injury report after dealing with an illness and a concussion over the last few weeks.
Just as Carr has, Olave hasn’t missed a game this season. He leads the Saints in every receiving category and is 72 yards away from his second consecutive 1,000-yard season to begin his career. He'll have two more days to practice in some sort of capacity.
Other Saints injury news
Olave is just one of ten Saints players on their first injury report of Week 15. Among the other nine, three did not practice on Wednesday while six were limited with various injuries.
Tight end Taysom Hill returned to practice after missing last week's game with injuries to his foot and left hand. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed also practiced in limited fashion with a thigh injury that kept him out of the Saints' Week 14 win last Sunday.
On the defensive side of the ball, Cameron Jordan was limited with an ankle injury, while fellow defensive end Isaiah Foskey missed practice as he deals with a quad ailment.
The Saints will need all hands on deck for the rest of the season as their margin for error is slim to none. These next two games will determine whether New Orleans will remain in the hunt for the NFC South crown with two divisional battles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons on the docket to end the season.
The Saints currently sit in third place behind the Bucs and Falcons after losing their first matchup of the season to each team. New Orleans hosts the New York Giants this week who have suddenly entered the NFC playoff race with three consecutive wins.
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