Carr's return to the Saints' lineup is horrendous as he loses his top target, the game and his coach

Derek Carr's return to nan New Orleans Saints' starting lineup couldn't person gone overmuch worse.

He lost his apical target to a concussion erstwhile his pass complete nan mediate sailed complete his receiver. He lost to nan worst team successful nan convention and he became nan first NFL backmost to suffer to 31 teams.

A time later, he mislaid his caput coach.

These are not nan Saints of Sean Payton and Drew Brees, to beryllium sure. But Carr and Dennis Allen expeditiously raised hopes of parading different Lombardi Trophy down Bourbon Street erstwhile nan Saints totaled 91 points successful back-to-back blowouts of Carolina and Dallas to commencement nan season.

They scored connected their first 9 possessions successful a 47-10 rout of nan Panthers successful nan opener, past topped that a week later astatine Jerry World erstwhile they reached nan extremity area connected their first half-dozen drives successful a 44-19 jaw-dropper against nan Cowboys.

Those were heady times — and, arsenic it turned out, fleeting.

The Saints person mislaid 7 consecutive games since Week 2 amid a flurry of injuries, including a strained oblique that sent Carr to nan sideline for 3 weeks.

Four of those losses were by double digits, among them a 33-10 Thursday nighttime whooping from Payton and his caller team, nan resurgent Denver Broncos.

The costliest nonaccomplishment was nan Saints' 23-22 conclusion successful Charlotte connected Sunday erstwhile Carr couldn't lead his squad into field-goal scope successful nan last infinitesimal and nan Saints near municipality pinch nan aforesaid 2-7 grounds arsenic nan Panthers, a squad that's statistically dreadful and historically bad.

So, Dennis Allen, who was antecedently fired by nan then-Oakland Raiders successful 2014, connected Monday became nan first coach successful NFL history fired doubly pinch nan aforesaid backmost starting some teams.

In a written connection released by nan team, Allen thanked squad proprietor Gayle Benson and GM Mickey Loomis for his opportunity and said, “I americium sorry nan results weren’t better, because they were surely deserved.”

Allen is nan 2nd NFL coach fired midseason successful 2024. Jeff Ulbrich replaced Robert Saleh arsenic interim coach aft nan Jets' 2-3 commencement and it took him a period to get his first victory.

The caretaker successful New Orleans is Darren Rizzi, who gets nan Browns (2-7) astatine location successful 2 weeks and nan Giants (2-7) connected nan roadworthy successful four, but he inherited a beat-up squad and a backmost who was eviscerated by erstwhile teammate Michael Thomas connected societal media aft wide receiver Chris Olave's concussion Sunday.

As he trim crossed nan mediate and reached for Carr's errant pass, Olave was sandwiched by information Xavier Woods and cornerback Dane Jackson. While Woods was flagged for unnecessary roughness, Olave remained connected nan section for respective minutes being attended to by trainers arsenic nan crowd went silent and players from some teams gathered astir him. He was yet placed connected a backboard and taken to a infirmary by ambulance.

Thomas instantly castigated Carr connected societal media, saying Carr tends to "just panic and propulsion nan ball.” He besides reposted different connection connected X that suggested Carr should beryllium fined for throwing a “hospital pass.”

Carr said for much than 4 minutes astir Thomas’ comments aft nan game.

“I person a pit successful my tummy immoderate clip 1 of my teammates goes down because I emotion them that much,” Carr said. “No matter if I for illustration them aliases not, and I hap to emotion Chris Olave. We person a awesome relationship. I hate, and I don’t for illustration to usage that connection a lot, but I dislike moments for illustration that.”

Carr said Thomas, who has criticized Carr connected societal media before, seems to beryllium nan 1 teammate who hasn't gotten on pinch him successful nan NFL.

“I don’t cognize what I did to him,” Carr said. “I don’t cognize why he feels that way. I’m sorry for immoderate he’s dealing pinch to make him consciousness for illustration he’s sewage do that. But he’s ne'er called maine during each of this. My telephone number has ne'er changed. I’ve successful truth called him connected different occasions conscionable to try. Sometimes, you tin effort arsenic difficult arsenic you want and it doesn’t activity out. And that’s OK. ... But I wish him nan best. I dream he gets connected a squad and does what he wants to do and loves it.”

Woods said aft nan crippled he didn’t deliberation it was a malicious hit, but officials told him he was penalized for hitting Olave successful nan head. “It was thing soiled connected my part, I was conscionable playing football,” Woods said.

Entering nan weekend, Carr was 1 of 10 QBs to person mislaid to 30 different teams, a nine that includes Brees, Brett Favre, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. Now, Carr stands unsocial arsenic nan only QB to suffer to 31 teams.

The only squad he hasn’t mislaid to is his aged team, nan Raiders, whom nan Saints big connected Dec. 29.

Another mea culpa came erstwhile erstwhile Eagles halfway Jason Kelce began ESPN's broadcast of “Monday Night Countdown" by acknowledging he shouldn't person returned an anti-gay slur to a Penn State shot instrumentality who heckled him Saturday astir his brother, Travis, making love Taylor Swift.

“In a heated moment, I chose to shake hands dislike pinch hate,” Jason Kelce said. “And I don't deliberation that's a productive thing.”

Whatever happened to nan axiom that you play for nan necktie astatine location and nan triumph connected nan road?

The Buccaneers mislaid 30-24 astatine Kansas City successful overtime Monday nighttime aft Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles decided to spell for nan necktie alternatively than nan triumph pursuing Baker Mayfield's touchdown propulsion pinch 27 seconds near successful regulation.

The Bucs were nan 3rd squad to suffer successful Week 9 aft kicking nan game-tying other constituent pursuing a TD successful nan last infinitesimal of regulation. The others were nan Patriots astatine Tennessee and nan Seahawks astatine location against nan Rams.

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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow successful San Francisco and AP Sports Writers Steve Reed successful Charlotte, North Carolina, and Brett Martel successful New Orleans contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl