New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is expected to play on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Carr, who was sidelined for three games with an oblique injury, was not listed on Friday’s Week 9 injury report.
The Saints are winless since Week 2 and went 0-3 with Spencer Rattler starting in Carr’s place. The team is looking to snap a six-game losing streak, which marks the franchise’s most consecutive losses since 2005, against the 1-7 Panthers.
Carr returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since leaving a Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter. He later told reporters he believed he suffered the oblique injury while throwing an incomplete pass.
Prior to his injury Carr had completed 70.3 percent of his passes through five games, throwing for 989 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He added eight carries for 22 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Carr’s strongest stretch of the season came during the first two weeks, during which he passed for five touchdowns and was only picked off once in consecutive wins over the Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.
The Saints’ offense has been unable to overcome the team’s defensive struggles from Week 3 onward, leaving New Orleans facing a three-game losing streak even before Carr’s injury.
The team’s offense flagged further with Carr sidelined. The Saints were held to 45 total points and three touchdowns in three games without him, while Rattler competed 59.6 percent of his passes for 571 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in three starts.
The Saints will now look to take advantage of the Panthers’ own struggles on offense. Carolina has only scored more than 20 points twice this season while switching between Bryce Young and Andy Dalton under center, giving the New Orleans defense a chance for a bounce-back performance during Carr’s return this weekend.
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