ATLANTA — Second-year Saints wide receiver Chris Olave sustained a game-ending concussion in the second half of New Orleans' 24-15 loss to the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday.
Olave hit the ground hard on a failed reception attempt from quarterback Derek Carr. The 23-year-old appeared to hit his head when landing out of bounds with the Saints trailing 14-9 with 9:07 remaining in the third quarter.
That series resulted in a 14-play, 65-yard scoring drive with rookie kicker Blake Grupe connecting on a 45-yard field goal – his third of five successful kicks in the game.
The 11th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft recorded a team-high seven receptions for 114 yards prior to leaving the game.
Fellow receiver Rashid Shaheed also left the game with a thigh injury in the second quarter and was listed as questionable to return. Shaheed at two catches for nine yards.
Tight end Juwan Johnson, who missed four games earlier in the season due to a calf injury, temporarily left the game following a hard hit in the third, but returned after medical evaluation.
Without Olave, Shaheed to close out the game, as well as Michael Thomas, who was placed on injured reserve last week, Carr went 24 of 38 for 304 yards with no touchdowns and on interception that resulted in a Falcons 92-yard pick-six by Jessie Bates in the first quarter.
With the Week 12 loss to their NFC South rival Atlanta, the Saints no longer have sole possession of the division as they now share the lead with the Falcons – both with identical 5-6 records.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped to 4-7 following a 27-20 loss at the Indianapolis Colts (6-5). And the Carolina Panther dropped to 1-10 after losing 17-10 to the Titans (4-7) in Nashville.
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