Saints’ Derek Carr ruled out in Week 10 vs. Vikings with injury; Jameis Winston takes over at QB

Joshua Dobbs was once again the talk of the NFL early Sunday, guiding the Vikings to a sizable halftime lead over the Saints in Week 10. New Orleans, meanwhile, was forced to turn to its own backup quarterback after Derek Carr took a hard hit to the upper body late in the third quarter, requiring veteran No. 2 Jameis Winston to take over under center.

Trailing 27-3 with just under six minutes left in the third, Carr stood in the pocket to deliver a pass to Chris Olave, only to take a high-impact shot from Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter. The hit was clean but instantly sent Carr to the turf, where he remained for a while before walking off the field. Trainers then escorted him to the sideline medical tent for further evaluation, and he was later ruled out with a concussion and shoulder injury.

Winston had an immediate impact as his replacement, tossing a touchdown to Olave on the same drive. The former Buccaneers starter also got extensive work in Week 3 against the Packers, when Carr suffered an AC joint sprain. He notably went 5-2 when he opened the 2021 season as the Saints’ starter, only to have his season cut short due to injury.

Winston’s instant TD pass to Olave, which saw the wide receiver stay inbounds at the back of the end zone, was quickly declared the most improbable scoring throw of this year by NFL’s Next Gen Stats.