GREEN BAY, Wis. — The New Orleans Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr to a shoulder injury and then lost a 17-0 fourth quarter lead in a loss at Green Bay Sunday, falling to the Packers 18-17.
A 46-yard field goal try by Brad Grupe with just over a minute to go went wide right, sealing the loss.
Carr’s status wasn’t immediately clear for the coming weeks. Allen said Carr was being evaluated and x-rayed for a right shoulder injury at a hospital in Wisconsin.
"When we know what it is, we'll let you know."
The Saints didn’t move the ball a lot when Carr was in the game but they didn’t move it at all once Jameis Winston took over until the final drive, where he positioned them for the final field goal attempt. The defense gave up two huge pass interference penalties in a drive that put the Packers within striking distance.
"I thought second half, too many explosive penalties," said Saints coach Dennis Allen. "Once they got the momentum, it was hard for us to try to get it flipped and I don't know that we ever did."
It was a complete implosion of a team that seems to have a razor thin margin for error.
The Packers scored all 18 of their points in the fourth quarter, including converting a two-point conversion that cut the margin, at the time, to 17-11.
The Saints offense has scored fewer than 20 points in 9 of their past 12 games, extending into 2022, including all of their games so far this season.
The Saints will get some help next week with the expected return of Alvin Kamara, but its offensive line has given up four sacks in each of its three games and the running game has been suspect at best.
Chris Olave and Michael Thomas both showed up big, with Olave catching 8 passes for 104 yards and Thomas nabbing 6 for 50 yards, most of them in traffic.
Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, widening the Saints margin at the time to 14-0.
