The Fallout: Derek Carr ‘week to week’ with hand injury and concussion; no immediate decision on Haener vs. Rattler; Rizzi laughs about ‘losing his sh**’

Derek Carr is “week to week” with both his left hand injury and concussion, according to Saints coach Darren Rizzi. But the Saints don’t plan to put the quarterback on injured reserve with four weeks remaining in the season, and Rizzi said the hand injury is “non-surgical” at this point.

Rizzi took issue with reports he described as “a little bit false” Monday. The NFL Network first reported that Carr was expected to miss “several weeks” after suffering a significant fracture in the non-throwing hand and that it would be “almost certainly season-ending” because of where we’re at on the calendar.

Rizzi declined to get into the specific details of Carr’s diagnosis and whether he suffered a fracture, other than describing it as a “left hand/left wrist type of thing” and saying Carr will get a second opinion. Rizzi also stressed that Carr is also in the concussion protocol after being diagnosed with a concussion Sunday – which also puts his playing status in jeopardy.

But Rizzi mostly was just denying the reports of a projected timetable for Carr’s recovery with the hand injury.

In other words, the Saints don't want to rule out the possibility of Carr returning this year -- even though it may be a long shot.

Knowing Carr, he’ll seek every opportunity to play sooner if possible. Rizzi referenced Justin Herbert and Josh Allen as quarterbacks who played through injuries to their non-throwing hands, though neither appears to be an apples-to-apples comparison. (Herbert played through a fractured middle finger on his non-throwing hand last year without missing any time, and Allen played through an unspecified injury to his non-throwing hand earlier this year without missing time.) We have also seen both Alvin Kamara and Pete Werner play through broken hands this year without missing time – though the nature of their positions is obviously different.

“As it stands at this moment, I don't believe it's gonna be an IR situation. I think it's gonna be a week-to-week situation. So we're gonna kind of take this day by day this week, we'll see how this week plays out,” Rizzi said. “I'll say this, it's been done before. I don't know if it was Justin Herbert off the top of my head or Josh Allen or whoever it was, has had these injuries before with this non-throwing hand. It appears at the moment that it's non-surgical, which is a big aspect of it. If it was surgical, we'd be having a different conversation, which is why this is gonna remain a day-to-day, week-to-week type of thing.”

Carr has a history of playing through several injuries throughout his career, including a significant shoulder injury last season – though he did miss three games with an oblique injury earlier this year.

This is also now the third concussion he has sustained in the past 13 months. He did not miss any time last year after being diagnosed with concussions in both Week 10 and Week 13, though the Saints had a bye in Week 11.

HAENER VS. RATTLER TBD

Rizzi said the coaches would decide later on Monday whether to go with backup Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler as the next man up. Whether or not Carr has any chance of playing this week, Rizzi said one of the young backups is expected to take the majority of first-team reps in practice.

“I gotta be honest. I'm not trying to play the fence-sitter here. I actually think both guys give us a chance to win,” said Rizzi, who said he would discuss with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko among others who makes the most sense based on their feelings on the QBs themselves and how they fit the upcoming matchups (this week at home vs. the Commanders, next week at Green Bay on Monday Night Football if necessary).

Former coach Dennis Allen and the offensive staff made some curious choices with the backup QBs earlier this season – choosing Haener to be the backup behind Carr in Weeks 1-5 and again from Weeks 9-14, but going with Rattler as QB1 when Carr was injured from Weeks 6-8.

Rizzi said that was Allen’s call. But Rizzi has stuck with Haener as QB2 since he took over five weeks ago. When asked if that means Rizzi himself was choosing Haener ahead of Rattler, Rizzi pointed out that Haener has been the backup for every single game this season – but said other factors will be involved in who starts a game.

Rizzi pointed out that the coaches’ decision to go with Rattler in Weeks 6-8 also included factors such as the specific matchups and the Saints’ offensive line injuries at the time.

“I think this is a new ground, if you will. That's why we're gonna kind of press the reset button here. It's a clean slate. We're gonna go and make that decision again,” Rizzi said. “We’re gonna kind of put it all on the table and see what we feel. … But I think both guys bring positives to the table.”

Obviously Rattler’s performance in his three-game sample is an added factor the Saints will consider. Rattler struggled behind that depleted Saints offensive line, going 0-3 while completing 59.6% of his passes with one touchdown pass, two interceptions and two lost fumbles.

Haener said after Sunday’s game that he feels terrible for Carr, but would really look forward to the opportunity to “compete and show you guys what I can do.”

“The biggest thing I’m gonna do is bring energy and bring a sense of urgency to this offense, and the guys are gonna feel my passion. And I’m gonna do everything I can to get us a win,” said Haener, who said he feels like he did some of that in previous snippets this year – including when he was brought in to replace Rattler during the second half of the Week 8 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers, finishing 9 of 17 for 122 yards with two runs for 10 yards, zero TDs and zero turnovers.

“Derek’s my guy, and he works so hard at it. But he’ll be there for me and share all his knowledge if he needs to,” Haener said. “But we’ll see what happens. I still don’t know if he’ll be playing or not. But I gotta do everything I can to stay as prepared as possible. And I’ve been grinding. I’ve been doing everything I can to be ready for an opportunity.”

RIZZI LOSES HIS ‘SH**’

Rizzi was able to laugh about it afterward, thanks to the Saints’ narrow 14-11 victory on Sunday (and thanks to a holding penalty by the Giants that nullified New York’s punt-return touchdown in the second quarter.) But FOX cameras caught Rizzi absolutely laying into punter Matthew Hayball on the sideline after that punt – to the point where Kamara had to step in and cool off Rizzi.

Not only did Alvin Kamara step in between Coach Rizzi and Hayball, he also picked up Coach Rizzi’s headset and hat 😂💪pic.twitter.com/tCL4HF70tj— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) December 9, 2024

When asked about his “passioned exchange,” Rizzi laughed and said, “That’s what you’re calling it, a passioned exchange? Well, listen, I’m passionate about everything. And everybody has a job to do, everybody has a one-eleventh to do. You guys that follow our team know I’m a big accountability guy. And that was a big part of our game plan today – and he wasn’t executing our game plan.”

However, Rizzi quickly pointed out that Hayball’s last two punts in the fourth quarter were very important (Hayball had a 51-yarder fielded at the 11-yard line and returned to the 14, then he had a 43-yarder fielded at the 18-yard line and returned to the 27). Rizzi said that second-to-last punt in particular was “really really good.”

“Pinned them back, didn’t get any return yards. That’s really what we were trying to do all day. Our first three punts weren’t good enough," Rizzi said. “So that passionate exchange, I let him know that that’s exactly how I felt. So it probably came across as a little bit more than that. But me and Matt are fine.”

As for Kamara’s role in the exchange, it was another example of the increased leadership role Kamara has taken on since Rizzi became interim coach.

“I love AK, because AK is a guy that’s very very observant and sees everything,” Rizzi said. “You guys know that have followed AK for a while know that he’s a little bit of a lay-in-the-weeds guy, but he sees everything. And he was just trying to be the peacemaker there.

“And he came back around and said, ‘Rizz, man, I never knew you could lose your shit on the punter like that.’ So he was just trying to call me down. Listen, he’s a team guy.”

PLAYOFFS?! PLAYOFFS??!!

It’s borderline ridiculous to even consider the possibility, especially if Carr is going to miss substantial time.

But you know what else is borderline ridiculous? The NFC South! Where Tampa Bay now leads the division at 7-6, ahead of Atlanta at 6-7 and New Orleans at 5-8. Plus, the Saints get a chance to play at Tampa in Week 18.

So, yes, if the Saints were good enough to win most of their games down the stretch, the playoffs would not be out of reach. And that’s only really relevant for now because they’re going to use that lifeline to keep hope and purpose alive in their locker room until it isn’t anymore.

“When you’re playing games that still matter and still count and still have a chance to affect the final outcome, that’s a big deal,” Rizzi said. “I try not to be a big-picture guy, but it’s always nice to know that’s still out there.”

So how would the tie-breakers work if the Saints pull off the unthinkable?

First of all, they can’t end up in a tie with Atlanta in any shape or form (two-way tie or three-way tie with the Buccaneers). So the Saints must finish with a better overall record than Atlanta.

If the Saints tie with Tampa Bay at 9-8 or 8-9, they would obviously have to beat the Bucs in Week 18. And they would almost certainly need Tampa Bay to lose at home to the Panthers in Week 17 as well. That would give the Saints a better division record.

As far as I can tell, it doesn’t appear that the Saints can win any other tie-breakers with the Bucs, since they can’t end up with a better record against common opponents or conference opponents if Tampa beats Carolina. Then it would come down to strength of victory, where the Bucs would be propelled by early-season wins over Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington (yeah, holy crap!)

KENDRE CHURNING FORWARD

Kendre Miller paused and let out a deep exhale when asked what Sunday’s game meant to him. It was just his third game of the season and definitely his most complete performance, with 10 carries for 32 yards and his first touchdown of the year, plus a 31-yard kickoff return.

“Like I said earlier this week, this game wasn’t a ‘prove it’ to anybody. It was just really to myself,” said Miller, who has battled hamstring injuries dating back to the first day of training camp – not to mention the growing narrative over the past two years that he can’t stay healthy, which drew the ire of former coach Allen.

“Because like I said, I done been on a journey ever since I got to the NFL,” Miller continued. “I had never dealt with anything quite frankly like this through college with injuries and stuff, and it’s been a bumpy ride. But hopefully we’re trending in the right direction now finally.”

Miller’s stats might not have jumped off the page if you didn’t watch the game. But two of his runs were among the most impressive things he’s done yet in New Orleans.

First he forced a missed tackle in the backfield, then powered through two others while gaining 8 yards on a second-and-7. Then he churned his way through at least seven potential tacklers on an incredible 8-yard TD run that ended with his offensive linemen pushing the pile over the goal line.

Kendre Miller ain't going down. TD for 25📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/4ILIHREgYE— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 8, 2024

“I just tried to keep my feet moving, honestly,” Miller said. “It was people coming in from all different directions. And the biggest thing was, ‘I just gotta keep my legs moving’ because I know the offensive linemen are coming from behind to push me in.”

Rizzi, who talked about giving Miller a “clean slate” once he returned from IR last week, said Miller showed the “unique ability” that led the Saints to draft him in Round 3 last year.

“You know, Kendre’s just gotta stay consistent. That’s been his thing, right?” Rizzi said. “So we gotta do that again next week. We gotta have another good practice week. We gotta just stay healthy. But you saw the flashes today of the athletic ability. That’s the guy we knew we were drafting.”

QUICK HITS

Great callback from Saints linebacker Demario Davis after he intercepted his first pass in two years. Davis shamed himself a few weeks ago when he missed two opportunities at interceptions by saying he needed to order some new hands on “Amazon Prime delivery.”

That @amazon shipment made it in time for Christmas! 🙏🏾🙌🏿 Thank you. https://t.co/kadBcxRxv4— Demario Davis (@demario__davis) December 8, 2024

-Rizzi said Saints defensive assistant Todd Grantham will leave Tuesday for his new role as Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator and wished him well and congratulated him on the opportunity. Rizzi said the Saints don’t plan to hire anyone new and will “shuffle some of the responsibilities around” among the staff.

-Rizzi said the Saints didn’t get away with any rules violations on Bryan Bresee’s game-winning field goal block Sunday. Both Nathan Shepherd and Payton Turner carried out their assignments of pinning Giants blockers to the ground by pushing down on their backs. It would’ve been illegal for them to hit those players in the head instead – or to actually grab them and pull them to the ground. But the way they did it is the way it’s taught to be done, so they were commended as well.

-Disturbing stat of the week No. 1: The Saints had 10 runs that went for negative yards on Sunday in New York. Ten! Including four on their first two drives that resulted in punts and one on third-and-1 after Carr was injured that prevented them from trying to seal the game on offense.

-Disturbing stat of the week No. 2: An ugly trend reappeared Sunday when the Saints let Giants QB Drew Lock scramble for 59 yards on five carries, including conversions on fourth-and-10, third-and-15 and third-and-9. And up next, the Saints now face Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, who ranks second among NFL quarterbacks with 590 rushing yards this season.