If you're of the belief -- as you should be -- that COVID absences during the fever dream that was the 2020-'21 NFL seasons shouldn't end ironman streaks, Week 4 of the 2024 campaign will represent the end of an era.
Demario Davis has been ruled out for the Falcons matchup on Sunday with a hamstring injury that cropped up during the Week 3 loss to the Eagles. After 13 seasons and 197 games in the NFL, the Saints star linebacker will be missing the first game due to injury in his NFL career.
"We’re not going to put anybody out there that we feel like we’re putting at risk of injuring themselves," Allen said when asked about whether the streak weighed on the decision.
Allen compared the situation to that of Cam Jordan, who had a similar streak snapped in 2022 when he missed a game due to an eye injury. Both Jordan and Davis had their consecutive games streaks halted prematurely due to single-game COVID absences, with Davis' coming during a Monday Night Football debacle against the Dolphins where a majority of the starters were absent.
Jordan, who pushed to play regardless, said he'd have pushed harder if not for the COVID absence. Davis' situation is harder to gauge. He missed time in camp with a hamstring injury and watched from the sideline during the Eagles' go-ahead drive in Week 3.
The 35-year old Davis has been a mainstay of the Saints defense since he was signed in free agency ahead of the 2018 season. Over those 7 seasons he's started 101 games, while rolling up 693 tackles, 67 TFLs and 30 sacks, earning All Pro nods each of the past five seasons and Pro Bowl appearances each of the past two. Davis notably returned on a short week last season despite a knee injury that doctors gave him a "0% chance" to play through, according to the player. He described the recovery as a miracle. The Saints are leaving no room for a potential miracle this time around.
"I think with all these things, you’re always just looking at, you know, what’s the proper thing to do, what’s the right thing to do for the player and for the team," Allen said. "That’s all that goes into any of those types of decisions.”
The next question becomes where do the Saints turn at linebacker. The team brought in veteran Willie Gay and he'll assuredly have his biggest role yet. The team also has starting Will linebacker Pete Werner, who could potentially take over at the Mike spot, as well as young players in Anfernee Orji and D'Marco Jackson, both of whom saw significant action during the preseason.
“[Being without Davis] would be a huge impact," Saints DC Joe Woods said earlier in the week. "He’s definitely the quarterback of our defense, our emotional leader. He’s meant a lot to our defense, to this whole team, for a long time, but it would be tough.”
We'll see just how tough on Sunday in Atlanta.
