Following a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first quarter, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave left Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shortly after he left the game, the Saints ruled Olave out with a concussion – leaving New Orleans without their top receiver. The Bucs went on to defeat the Saints with a final score of 51-27.
With the Buccaneers leading, 7-0 in the first quarter, Olave was injured on a hit by Bucs safety Tykee Smith and cornerback Zyon McCollum that resulted in him fumbling the ball. McCollum lowered his helmet and made direct contact to Olave’s helmet with the crown of his. Smith punched the ball out for a fumble just before the hit, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. picked it up and scored on a 58-yard return to give Tampa Bay a 14-0 lead.
Olave walked to the sideline with athletic trainers after the play, where he went to the injury tent to be evaluated for a concussion. He eventually went to the locker room before he was ruled out of the game. A replay angle shows the direct helmet-to-helmet contact, with the hit a clear personal foul – however, officials neglected to flag the penalty.
Also later in the game, Buccaneers starting outside cornerback Jamel Dean was ruled out with a hamstring injury after a tackle on Saints wide receiver Bub Means at the end of the first quarter.
Olave has previously missed time due to concussion protocol- misisng a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 after he appeared to be knocked unconscious, and entering concussion protocol after hitting the turf in a game against the Seattle Seahawks the week prior.
The Saints next play Thursday night against the Denver Broncos in Week 7.
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