Saints' Derek Carr 'Likely' to Play vs. Falcons After Clearing Concussion Protocol

The New Orleans Saints are in line to get their starting quarterback back for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Derek Carr cleared concussion protocol Thursday. That means it is "likely" he will play in the NFC South showdown.

Carr suffered the injury during New Orleans' Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He exited in the third quarter and did not return, although he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice after the team's bye week.

Unfortunately for the Saints, they will not be at full strength for the upcoming contest. Michael Thomas is on injured reserve because of a knee setback, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore is dealing with an ankle injury.

Jameis Winston entered the game against the Vikings after Carr suffered the concussion and shoulder injury. The Florida State product finished 13-of-25 for 122 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, underscoring his tendency to both create big plays and turn the ball over throughout his career.

Sunday's game against the Falcons is an important one for New Orleans.

It is in first place in the NFC South at 5-5 but just one game ahead of the 4-6 Falcons and 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It already lost to the Buccaneers once this season and still has two games remaining against Atlanta, so it cannot afford many more head-to-head losses for tiebreaker purposes.

There are no teams above .500 in the entire division, but the Saints can change that if Carr plays well against the Falcons.

He won't have Thomas on the outside, but Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed have been the team's top two wide receivers from a yardage standpoint throughout the season. They should still be able to generate yards through the air against an Atlanta defense that is a middling 18th in the league in points allowed per game.

It is a solid matchup for Carr to establish some consistency after throwing for 10 touchdowns and four interceptions through his first 10 games.