Saints’ Chris Olave ruled out after suffering concussion in Week 12 against Falcons

Chris Olave has been ruled out of New Orleans’ Week 12 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons due to a concussion the receiver suffered in the third quarter. Olave injured himself on a second-and-8 play from the New Orleans 34-yard line. Derek Carr threw an incomplete pass to Olave deep down the right sideline. He went up to try and make the leaping catch, secured the ball momentarily but landed awkwardly on his head out of bounds. 

Olave was then examined in the blue medical tent on the sideline before dapping up his teammates and heading to the locker room, per team writer John DeShazier. 

Before the injury, Olave was having his best game of the season thus far. He caught seven of his nine targets for 114 yards. Even with just over a half of football, that receiving yard total set a new season-high for the former first-round pick, besting his 112-yard performance against the Titans in Week 1. It was also the first time that Olave had topped 100 yards receiving since Week 3. His seven receptions are tied for the second-highest total of the season. 

Coming into Week 12, Olave had caught 56 of his 94 targets for 657 yards and three touchdowns. At 5-5, the Saints are looking to maintain their slim one-game lead over the Falcons (4-6) and Buccaneers (4-6) in the NFC South. Unfortunately for New Orleans, not having Olave healthy and on the field doesn’t give them the best chance of keeping their spot in the standing intact.