Chargers' remaining schedule just got even easier after latest Saints injury news

With a 2-2 record and a long list of injuries, the LA Chargers have to take the 2024 season one game at a time. That being said, it does not hurt to peek toward the future (as well as the landscape of the rest of the league) to get an idea of where the team stands.

With the rest of the AFC struggling to start the year, Chargers fans can look at the easy remaining strength of schedule as a source of hope. As bad as things looked after losing two games in a row, the Chargers are ultimately still in a good position.

One matchup in the not-so-distant future that may end up being much more favorable for the Chargers is the New Orleans Saints. The Bolts host the Saints in Week 8 and while New Orleans looked like a formidable foe through two weeks, that may no longer be the case.

Not only have the Saints lost three games in a row after a hot 2-0 start, but New Orleans may have to go into SoFi Stadium without a familiar face to Chargers fans: Derek Carr.

Chargers may get to face Saints without Derek Carr

Carr, who was exceptional in the first two weeks of the season before falling back down to Earth, has not played the Chargers since leaving the Las Vegas Raiders. This reunion of sorts may have to wait depending on the severity of his oblique injury.

Time will tell if Carr can return against the Chargers but with the matchup 20 days after Monday's game against Kansas City, it does not seem likely that Carr will suit up. If he doesn't, it will be either Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener under center.

Rattler was a big name in college and was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Saints. While his NFL career is rather unproven, the Chargers do not have to be worried about a fifth-round rookie who would be making just his third NFL start.

Haener came into the game after Carr suffered the injury on Monday. Haener is another day-three selection as the Saints took him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. His play against the Kansas City Chiefs certainly was not alarming.

Either way, the Chargers are going to have a much easier quarterback matchup if Carr is out and that should bode well for the team. At the very least, the Chargers have proven they can beat up on subpar quarterbacks and lean on the team's great coaching staff to coast to a win.

Without Carr, the Saints game goes from a home toss-up for the Bolts to a likely home win.