The Saints' 2021 season has been rough, and it won't get any easier in Week 14, with multiple key players already landing on the COVID list after positive tests.
Those players are ironman defensive end Cam Jordan and running back Mark Ingram, both of whom face long odds to clear protocol and return for a Week 14 matchup with the Jets.
WWL Radio and SEC Network color analyst Deuce McAllister summed it up well on SportsTalk this week, speaking with Kristian Garic, Bobby Hebert and Mike Detillier.
Listen to McAllister's full interview in the player above.
“It’s just tough, I mean. Every team is dealing with it, but it seems like just when you start to get a little bit of good news, something else slaps you," McAllister said. "It’s just like, all right, what’s next? And that’s kind of how the season has gone. And this team has just kinda said, ‘all right, what are we gonna have to deal with this week?’ It’s just been something right after another week in and week out.”
The potential COVID absences are joined with a definite absence for wide receiver Deonte Harris, who has been suspended by the NFL for three games stemming from an offseason DWI arrest. The Saints appear in line to get back Alvin Kamara after a four-game absence, but they'll be limited without Harris in both the receiving and return games. The Saints are already thin at WR, will be playing with a banged up Taysom Hill at quarterback, and have injuries at seemingly every position.
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“You’re going to miss him, and it’s going to be tough. … Here’s the thing, you wish when you had him that you won a couple more games. And that’s basically the position that you’re put in. And you can say ‘next man up,’ but it’s going to be a tall task, and we all know it," McAllister said. "It’s going to be a tall task to replace him and his production. The thought of him just being back there on punt returns has forced teams to not kick it certain ways."
It's unlikely Kamara is used in the return game as he's coming off an injury, so the plan there will be something to watch closely. The Saints are hoping they can overcome their depth woes to snap a 5-game losing skid, the team's first since the 2005 season. At 5-7, they remain well within the playoff hunt with five games to play.
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