All News & Analysis

Saints Ingram to miss up to a month, who fills the void?

PFF-headlinesIn the midst another impressive game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram saw just two snaps on the field on the team's final drive as they attempted to run out the clock. And perhaps now we know why. Per Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the former first-round pick will miss up to a month after suffering an injury. It's a big blow for both Ingram and the Saints, with the former Alabama star finally starting to show that he has what it takes to get it done in the NFL.

As a runner through two weeks of this season, Ingram is averaging 6.0 Yards Per Carry with 41 of his 143 yards coming after contact. You can trace his improvement back to the end of last season, where he finished the year with four of the team's final five games graded in the ‘green'. He's had to battle for more opportunities in a crowded backfield so the injury will be a massive disappointment just as he was beginning to prove himself, but how will the Saints fare now that he's out?

Losing a player who is playing as well as Ingram is never a good thing, but fortunately for the Saints they have the talent in the backfield to overcome the loss. Pierre Thomas has seen more work as a receiver than a runner this year, but his skills have been evident regardless, with five missed tackles forced on nine receptions so far in 2014. The wild card of the group, however, is Khiry Robinson. An undrafted rookie a year ago, Robinson flashed serious potential in the team's two playoff games, rushing for 102 yards and forcing five missed tackles from 21 postseason carries.

It's not an ideal situation for the 0-2 Saints, but they have more than enough talent in the backfield that they should be able to handle this loss for the next month or so.

All Featured Tools

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit