The New Orleans Saints are expected to be shorthanded on a short week. The Saints, decimated by injuries throughout the season at key positions, are expected to be without Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead for Thursday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Armstead will miss the game with a high ankle sprain, another blow to the left side of their offensive line.
The Saints will also be without left guard Andrus Peat, who has been sidelined with a broken left arm for the past two games. Without Armstead and Peat on the left side of the line, the Saints are projected to play Ethan Greenidge at left tackle and Nick Easton at left guard. Easton played all the snaps at left guard in Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers, filling in for Peat (a Pro Bowl guard in his own right).
Greenidge, a rookie left tackle from Villanova, has long arms but is short for the left tackle position (6-foot-5). One of the knocks on Greenidge during the draft process was the lack of balance and technique, which the Saints have been working on over the past several months. The Saints will see what Greenidge has Thursday and possibly over the next several weeks while Armstead is out.
The Saints are putting an emphasis on giving the ball to Alvin Kamara, who finished with 11 carries for 54 yards and nine catches for 48 yards in the win. A healthy Kamara has brought the dimension to the Saints offense they've been lacking most of the year, which won't change with the injuries to the offensive line.
"There's going to be certain things that we want to try to do," said Saints head coach Sean Payton after Sunday's win. "He made a number of big plays for us, so whether they come in the running game or the passing game. The same way with Latavius Murray. He had a big touchdown early. Some of it is the byproduct of what we're doing and some of that, there are intentions behind it."
