If there's one thing we know by now about the New Orleans Saints, it's that their offensive line drives their offense. Drew Brees was the NFL's second-least sacked quarterback during the regular season, whereas the Saints running game is vital to the team's success. On Wednesday, the entire unit practiced together for the first time since Week 10, when tackle Terron Armstead tore his pectoral muscle against the Bengals, according to The Advocate's Nick Underhill.
The Saints' preferred combination up front consists of Armstead, Andrus Peat, Max Unger, Larry Warford and Ryan Ramczyk. Ramczyk and Armstead were named Second Team All Pro this year, whereas Unger got a Pro Bowl nod. Armstead played against the Steelers before sitting out in Week 17 against the Panthers, and he's still listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles.
The health of their front five is of vital importance, as Armstead and Ramczyk's statuses in particular could well drive any run the Saints plan on making to the Super Bowl. Although they took the No. 1 seed in the NFC, their offense looked anemic down the stretch at times this season, especially against the Cowboys and their first game against the Panthers.
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As of Wednesday, Armstead, Ramczyk, Warford and Peat all appeared on the Saints' injury report and were limited in practice, as was Jermon Bushrod, the first man up if one of them goes down.
Ultimately, the Saints will likely need four of their top five to be available if they have any hopes of replicating their 48-7 blowout of the Eagles in the first game that Armstead missed (although the odds of that aren't great regardless). Going beyond the offensive line, everyone on the team practiced. The Saints haven't played a meaningful game in the past two weeks, and some of their key pieces were held out against the Panthers as a precaution. However, if the Eagles' tough pass rush is able to get to Brees and disrupt games as they have lately, it could be a long game for the Saints on Sunday.
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