Saints’ Derek Carr makes NFL history before exiting ‘MNF’ game vs. Chiefs with injury

Derek Carr made history on “Monday Night Football,” but the New Orleans Saints‘ quarterback didn’t get any time to celebrate the moment. 

Carr became only the 25th quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 40,000 career passing yards, but his night ended early when he suffered an oblique injury with just under 10 minutes to play. He was initially labeled as questionable to return. Carr was replaced in the lineup by Jake Haener, a 2023 fourth-round pick who had attempted just one regular season pass prior to Monday night. 

Prior to getting injured, Carr had thrown touchdown passes of 43 yards to Rashid Shaheed and 6 yards to Foster Moreau. But his night also included a costly pick on the game’s first drive that set up the Chiefs‘ first touchdown. New Orleans trailed by 10 points when Carr exited the game following a turnover on downs with 9:38 left. 

Carr, the Raiders career franchise leader in passing yards, is now closing in on Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas, who is 24th all-time with 40,551 passing yards. But before he can do that, Carr will have to get healthy after getting injured Monday night. 

Carr is the second quarterback to join the 40,000-yard passing club this season. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins reached that milestone earlier this year and is currently 22nd on the all-time passing list, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Montana.