Derek Carr leaves with potential shoulder injury, putting damper on strong New Orleans start

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr was being evaluated after hurting his shoulder when he was sacked in the third quarter of an 18-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Saints coach Dennis Allen said after the game that he believed Carr was getting X-rays, but had no further updates.

“He’s being evaluated,” Allen said. “I can’t tell you really any more than that. It’s a shoulder injury. He’s being evaluated. When we know what it is, we’ll let you know.”

After getting sacked by Rashan Gary, Carr remained on the ground for a few minutes before leaving the field under his own power. He was checked out in the blue medical tent before heading to the locker room.

The possible impact of a long-term injury to Carr, who signed a four-year, $150 million contract in the offseason after being released by Las Vegas, was immediately apparent. New Orleans led, 17-0, when Carr got hurt. The Saints got outscored, 18-0, without him, though backup Jameis Winston drove New Orleans into scoring position before Blake Grupe’s 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 1:05 left.

“We know that we let this one slip away,” said Winston, who went 10 of 16 for 101 yards. “But we will be resilient. We will persevere.”

Carr was 13 of 18 for 103 yards with a touchdown pass. That his injury came on a sack shouldn’t have come as a surprise: New Orleans has allowed a dozen through three games.

Taylor Swift takes Travis Kelce’s invitation

Travis Kelce put the ball in Taylor Swift’s court, and she wound up bringing it to Arrowhead Stadium after all.

The 12-time Grammy Award winner took advantage of an invitation from the All-Pro tight end to see the Kansas City Chiefs blow out the Chicago Bears. Swift was decked out in red and white while watching alongside Kelce’s mother, Donna, from one of the glass-enclosed suites on a sun-splashed afternoon in Kansas City.

She got quite a show, too. Kelce grabbed the Chiefs’ final touchdown on a 3-yard pass in the third quarter.

Swift has always been reluctant to discuss her personal life in public, but rumors have been flying about the pop superstar and the football player. They began when Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast that he was disappointed that he didn’t have the chance to meet Swift and gift her a friendship bracelet during her stop in Kansas City on her Eras Tour.

Then, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Kelce said: “I threw the ball in her court and told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’ ”

The Chiefs’ victory was the 271st for head coach Andy Reid, moving him past Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry into fourth place on the career list.

Could Spain be on deck?

Spain is a strong contender to be the next international host of a regular-season NFL game, and it could happen as soon as 2024.

The league is holding five games in Europe this season — three in London, followed by two in Germany — and has targeted Spain and France as the next European destinations as it aggressively tries to expand its international footprint.

“We’re certainly looking at the viability of places such as Spain and France in Europe,” Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK, told The Associated Press in an interview. “That’s why we’re always firsthand looking at stadia and cities if they align with our strategic objectives in those markets.”

Brazil is among other countries that the league has identified as potential hosts. ESPN reported Sunday that the league has sent officials to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as to Madrid, to gather information.

When asked if next season is viable for a new city, Gosper said: “We don’t have enough information to say that with full confidence yet. We’re examining that possibility along with years beyond that.”

Stadium availability pushes France below Spain at the moment, given Paris is hosting the 2024 Olympics.

Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is nearly done with major renovations that include a soccer pitch that retracts to make way for an artificial turf field that can be used for American football with a capacity over 80,000. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has a long-term deal with the NFL to host London games, has a similar system. Atlético Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium seats 68,000.

London has hosted games since 2007. Last year, Munich hosted the first NFL regular-season game in Germany. Two games will be played in Frankfurt later this season, including the Patriots’ Week 10 game against the Colts.

Wrong kind of sharing

⋅ The Vikings have fumbled seven times this season and lost them all in their 0-3 start. T.J. Hockenson was the latest culprit, surrendering a promising first possession against the Chargers at the 21-yard line as Alohi Gilman wrestled the ball away in a crowd of defenders. Minnesota has a minus-seven turnover ratio, the worst in the league.

⋅ Tennessee’s DeAndre Hopkins extended his streak of catching at least one pass to 148 games with three receptions in his team’s loss to Cleveland. He has caught a pass in every game in his career and his run is the league’s longest active streak.

⋅ Jake Bobo, a Belmont Hill graduate from North Andover signed as an undrafted free agent by Seattle, scored his first NFL touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Geno Smith in the fourth quarter of the Seahawks’ win over Carolina.