The New Orleans Saints are finally getting back home this week for a run of three consecutive games in front of the home fans, and they're doing it on the heels of an exhilarating, come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens.
But that win came at a cost, with starting LT Kelvin Banks out for the foreseeable future due to a high ankle sprain that will require surgery to repair. Saints head coach Kellen Moore said on WWL Radio this week that the challenge that his absence will pose as the coaches turn to preparation for a Raiders squad that enters at a surprising 2-0 and features on the league's premiere edge rushers in Maxx Crosby.
“He’s a really special player and you know, it’s going to be a challenge for us, no matter where he lines up, right side, left side," Moore told WWL's Mike Hoss and Bobby Hebert, "and so we’re going to have to do a really good job of having a clean protection plan, giving ourself the opportunities we need to help in those situations and then have a plan to support that.”
Hear that interview with Kellen Moore and the full coaches show in the player above.
The job of replacing Banks will be handled by fourth-year pro Asim Richards, who replaced Banks on the final two drives -- both touchdowns -- to close out the win over Baltimore. The Saints traded for Richards prior to the 2025 season as they battled injuries to depth players and he appeared in 15 games, starting four in relief, primarily at right tackle. Moore indicated that the team did not intend to shift right tackle Taliese Fuaga to the left side, where he started 17 games as a rookie. Fuaga shifted to the right side last year, his more natural position, after the Saints drafted Banks at No. 9 overall. He went on to start all 17 games as a rookie.
"Left tackle, right tackle ... they're both hard positions so I don't care too much," Moore told reporters earlier in the day.
The Saints head coach noted that there's no distinct timeline for Banks' injury currently. He'll undergo his surgery at some point in the next few days. Once that is complete, doctors will assess the status of that ankle and establish a return to play timeline. It will be an extended period, regardless, and he'll miss what appears to be a stretch of winnable matchups over the next few weeks with the Raiders, Falcons and Vikings at home, followed by a road matchup with the Giants, who could be without Jaxson Dart after he suffered a knee injury during their Week 2 loss to the Rams.
“We’re excited about this. There’s nothing better than playing at the Caesars Superdome in front of our fans and the atmosphere that that place creates, and so it’s going to be a lot of fun," Moore said. "We can’t wait, and it’s going to start with this game against the Raiders.”
MORE FROM KELLEN MOORE
On the resiliency of this Saints team
“I thought, again, it’s September football. We’re in Week 2. There’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to get right, a lot of stuff we’ve got to improve on, but for our guys to hang in there and start the season with two big-time road games and come down to the end and pull that one off in Baltimore, I thought credit to our guys hanging in there and battling every play.”
On getting off to faster starts
“Yea, we’ve got to start fast, no question. I thought our defense started fast, special teams unit. I think it’s a tale of a similar path to what the Detroit game had. Our opening drive we get a first down on a third and 1, short yardage situation and then we can’t extend beyond that. We miss a first down, so we’ve got to start fast, this thing is going to be a lot of fun, Caesars Superdome starting on Sunday. We’re going to need the fans, the atmosphere, the energy that that place provides and it’s going to be a special day.”
On the Raiders offense
“[Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak] has done a great job with this group. I think Ashton is obviously a really special player at running back, he’s a big-time player and the combination of him and Mike Washington is a home run threat, both those guys are really special guys and then Kirk has just been doing this for such a long time. He’s such a consistent football player. He just does a really good job of operating this offense. They’ll stress us, they’ll challenge us, they’ll put us in some challenging situations and it’ll be a fun battle.”
