The New Orleans Saints return from a Week 12 bye to face the Los Angeles Rams at home. Chris Olave, who has been out since Week 9, will not return to action — his return is far less certain.
Here’s the latest on Olave and how the Saints are dealing with the loss of one of their most explosive playmakers.
What Is Chris Olave’s Injury?
During a game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9, Olave and Carolina Panthers safety Xavier Woods collided. Olave was attempting to haul in a pass from Derek Carr and Woods was closing quickly to prevent the connection.
The collision was violent and resulted in Olave falling to the ground, laying motionless as Saints medical personnel rushed to his aide. Woods was penalized and fined for the hit.
Olave was stretchered off the field and then taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and eventually released in time to fly home with the team.
When Will Chris Olave Return From Injury?
When New Orleans suits up to host the Rams in Week 13, it will have been nearly a month since Olave’s most recent concussion. But due to the NFL’s stringent protocol, Olave’s history of concussions, and the Saints’ insistence on precaution in this case, Olave’s return remains uncertain.
New Orleans placed Olave on injured reserve on Nov. 10, a designation that results in at least a four-game absence. That means the earliest Olave could return is Week 15. But recent comments from Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi suggest there’s consideration being given to a longer absence than is required by the protocol.
“We’re trying to figure out what’s the best now for the long term,” Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi told reporters earlier in November. “There’s a process in which he’s going through. He met with our people and then there’s people outside the building.
“Chris is going to be out right now for the short term, and then we’ll make a decision for the long term. But he is meeting with multiple people and everyone here, our medical staff has been in touch with all of them.”
The concussion suffered in Week 9 is Olave’s second this season and reportedly his fifth since his days playing for Ohio State.
How Will Chris Olave’s Absence Impact the Saints?
While New Orleans lost the game in which Olave was injured, they won their next two before heading into the bye and sit two wins out of Wild Card placement. With three games scheduled against teams they’re chasing, hope remains.
Any outside chances of getting back into the hunt rest on winning out. And winning out is much more possible with a healthy Olave in the lineup.
Unfortunately for New Orleans, Olave isn’t the only reliable Saints pass catcher out of action. Rashid Shaheed is out for the season with a knee injury, and both Bub Means (ankle) and Cedrick Wilson Jr. (shoulder) have missed time as well.
In the absence of the regulars, though, it’s been an all-around effort for quarterback Derek Carr’s pass catchers. Carr has thrown for 517 yards and four touchdowns in the two games without three of his top pass catchers, and the target distribution has been wide-ranging.
Human Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill has led the club in targets over the past two weeks with 12. He’s hauled in 10 of those offerings for 86 yards. The most sensational performer has been veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10 and followed that up with two more catches for 87 yards and another touchdown in Week 11.
Others who’ve contributed the past two weeks have included running back Alvin Kamara (five catches on six targets), tight end Juwan Johnson (five catches and one touchdown on five targets), and receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (three catches for 54 yards on four targets), among others.