KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Saints quarterback Derek Carr was having another tough time against the Chiefs even before he took a wicked shot from blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner on Monday night, not only ending his game but also New Orleans' hopes of a comeback.
Carr sustained an oblique injury on the hit with 9 1/2 minutes left and did not return to the 26-13 loss.
He finished with 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception, though a good chunk of the yardage came on his 43-yard scoring strike to Rashid Shaheed. Otherwise, the longtime Raiders quarterback struggled to deal with the opportunistic Kansas City defense, finishing 18 of 28 while getting sacked once and hit eight more times.
“It wasn’t even the hit, honestly,” Carr said of his injury. “It was just when I dropped back and torqued to throw.”
Carr plans to have an MRI exam on Tuesday to determine the extent of the oblique problem.
“I asked if there was anything we could do about it and there was not enough time,” he said.
Conner came nearly untouched right up the middle.
The Saints were trailing 23-13 and had fourth-and-8 at the Kansas City 41 when Carr dropped back to pass, and Conner came on a tear. Carr unloaded a pass deep down the New Orleans sideline as he was hit, but it went right through the hands of undrafted rookie Mason Tipton for an incompletion that ended the drive.
Carr immediately grabbed his oblique as he stood up. And after a brief check on the sideline, he headed for the locker room.
It didn't help his cause playing behind a patchwork offensive line made thin by injuries.
“Any time you’ve got new guys playing next to each other there is a learning curve. That’s just a fact,” Carr said.
Yet Carr's problems against the Chiefs date to his days with the Raiders. He dropped to 3-15 against them, and he has won just once in eight tries since Steve Spagnuolo took over as Chiefs defensive coordinator. Carr is also 1-9 in Arrowhead Stadium, only the 12th quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger to lose that many road starts in a single stadium.
He has also struggled since leading New Orleans to back-to-back blowouts of the Panthers and Cowboys to start the season. Carr threw for just 142 yards against the Eagles and 239 against the Falcons, and the poor play has been reflected on the scoreboard: New Orleans averaged 45.5 points in its first two games and has averaged 16.3 over its past three.
The Saints face a tough turnaround, too, facing the Buccaneers on Sunday and the Broncos just four days later.
“We’re not going to let this thing become a snowball. You can’t,” Carr said. "The end result is not what we want, but our process and the way we work can’t change.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws over Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Mike Pennel (69) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
NEW YORK (AP) — Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.
Four relievers held New York in check after an inconsistent Cole Ragans lasted four innings. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia singled in runs for the Royals.
Garcia, moved up from ninth to first in Kansas City's batting order, had four hits.
Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Kansas City, the Royals’ first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.
“It’s basically like a brand-new series when we get to the K,” Ragans said, referring to Kauffman Stadium.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge went 1 for 3 with an infield single and is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts in the series. Kansas City star Bobby Witt Jr., expected to finish second to Judge in AL MVP voting, was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, dropping to 0 for 10 in the series.
All four Division Series opened 1-1 for the first time since the round started in 1995.
Giancarlo Stanton put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single in the third, but New York went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and is 3 for 19 in the two games.
“They were making their pitches when they needed to,” Judge said. “We've got to come through in those situations to kind of break it open.”
Ragans allowed just the one run and three hits, striking out five and walking four. Winning pitcher Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber each followed with a hitless inning before Kris Bubic threw two scoreless innings. Lucas Erceg worked the ninth for his third save this postseason.
Erceg gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a two-out single to Jon Berti but retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it with slugger Juan Soto on deck. Chisholm's homer was the first off Erceg since June 12, when he was still pitching for Oakland.
Perez, at 34 the only remaining Royals player from their 2015 championship team, tied the score when he drove a 2-0 slider into the left-field seats. The nine-time All-Star entered 12 for 26 (.462) with three homers off Rodón, an old AL Central rival when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.
“He falls behind him, and from there started making some mistakes with his secondary (pitches) just in the heart of the plate," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Yuli Gurriel singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Pham’s one-out single for a 2-1 lead, prompting cheers from NFL fans at the Kansas City Chiefs' home game against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium. Pham stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hampson.
Garcia greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI single that put the Royals ahead 4-1.
Rodón, lined up to pitch a potential Game 5, gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Twenty-four of the 32 home runs he has allowed this season have been solo shots.
“Obviously, I want to be better than that — especially how the first three innings went,” Rodón said. “I wouldn’t say I tired out. Just got to be better with those pitches, just more fine with them and get to better spots.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (left flexor strain) took a step forward when he played catch Sunday, Boone said.
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-5, 2.85 ERA) makes his first postseason start Wednesday. He was 0-2 with an 11.75 ERA in three relief appearances during the 2022 playoffs.
Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00) is scheduled to start for the Royals. He struck out 10 over seven innings of three-hit ball in a 5-0 win at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
The date 06/10/2020 is displayed on Kansas City Royals pitcher Lucas Erceg's (60) glove during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series against the New York Yankees, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Lucas Erceg, right, and pitcher Lucas Erceg react after defeating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in Game 2 of an AL Wild Card Series baseball game, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Lucas Erceg (60) and catcher Salvador Perez (13) celebrate after beating the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals outfielder Tommy Pham (22) heads for first base on an RBI single against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals Garrett Hampson (2) scores on a hit against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) connects for a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) celebrates with Yuli Gurriel (18) after hitting a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
