This was ruled a fumble and return for a TD. No penalty for helmet to helmet pic.twitter.com/7KR0wu7p0y
— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) October 13, 2024
Disaster hit the New Orleans Saints early against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Chris Olave went down hard after a big hit. The team’s best wide receiver took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Zyon McCollum, but the play wasn’t fouled. Olave also fumbled on the play, which was recovered and returned for a Buccaneers touchdown to extend Tampa Bay’s early lead.
They’re going to miss him. So much of the offense is built around Olave demanding double coverage and extra attention from the opposing secondary, which creates opportunities for teammates like Rashid Shaheed to work one-on-one. Olave has entered the league concussion protocol and there’s no guarantee he’ll clear it in time to play on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos.
The Saints’ depth at wide receiver is going to be tested. Outside of Olave and Shaheed, the only other players on their 53-man roster are veteran backup Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookies Bub Means and Maston Tipton. There are three wideouts on the practice squad including Equanimeous St. Brown, Kevin Austin Jr., and Jermaine Jackson but none of them are eligible to play against the Bucs.
