There was some hope for the Saints to get back a few key players from injury Thursday evening, but it vanished quickly Thursday morning.
All three of starting LT Terron Armstead, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk and running back Alvin Kamara are expected to miss the Week 13 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
All three players have been battling knee injuries and have missed games over the past several weeks, heading into Thursday with a "questionable" tag. Armstead played in the loss to the Bills on Thanksgiving, but the injury clearly is still an issue. The Saints haven't won any of their games without Kamara, but they were their most competitive in Week 10 with Mark Ingram at the helm. He missed Week 12, but appears on track to make his return this week and lead the backfield.
The Saints also got Tony Jones Jr. back off IR and involved the past two weeks, and he should continue to be a factor. Taysom Hill is expected to start at quarterback, taking over after spending the past two weeks as the backup. He's battling a plantar fascia tear that's kept him out of the action, but says he's ready to play, though he's unsure how much he'll be limited by the injury when the real games start.
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DEs Marcus Davenport (shoulder) and Tanoh Kpassagnon (ankle) were listed as "out" for Thursday in the Saints' final injury report, as was linebacker Kaden Elliiss (hamstring).
The Saints have fallen to 5-6 amid their first four-game losing streak since 2015, but remain in the thick of the playoff hunt. A win would likely vault them back into the current field, while a loss could be tough to overcome with the packed standings table offering few opportunities to advance from the back.
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