In Charlotte, North Carolina, Bryce Young is set to make his second consecutive start this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, who anticipate the return of Derek Carr as their quarterback after he has been sidelined since Week 5 due to injury.

Carolina’s head coach, Dave Canales, indicated that Andy Dalton has fully participated in practice on Wednesday. However, Canales prefers to take a cautious approach and allow Dalton another week to heal from a thumb injury sustained in a car accident last week. Consequently, Dalton will be positioned as the team’s backup quarterback for this matchup.

Derek Carr, on the other hand, returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since he suffered an oblique muscle injury in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 7. Saints coach Dennis Allen noted that Carr was on a limited practice schedule. He expressed optimism about Carr’s performance, stating, “I’m really encouraged by what I saw today; signs are optimistic for this weekend.”

Young, for his part, has struggled as a starting quarterback in the NFL, holding a record of 2-17, with an unfortunate 0-3 record this season. In the Panthers’ opening season game against the Saints, Young completed 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards and threw two interceptions, contributing to a dismal first half where the Panthers trailed 30-0. Although Young did manage to throw two touchdown passes in last week’s game against the Denver Broncos, Carolina still lost the match 28-14.

Derek Carr’s absence has coincided with three consecutive losses for New Orleans, marking the team’s longest losing streak, six games, since 2005. Rookie QB Spencer Rattler took over Carr’s role during his injury but faced difficulties, as New Orleans lost all three games by margins of 18 points or more. Jake Haener, another reserve quarterback for the Saints, is expected to back up Carr for this week’s game, as stated by Allen.