New Orleans will be without one of its weapons when the Saints take the field for Saturday night’s wild-card matchup against the Eagles at the Linc.
Running back Pierre Thomas missed a third straight day of practice on Friday and will sit out the game with a chest injury. Thomas suffered the injury during the Saints’ Week 17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The injury is a big blow for the Saints’ vaunted offensive attack. Thomas led the team in carries (147), rushing yards (549) and catches (84) this season. He’s also a formidable blocker in the backfield.
The Saints’ running back committee will now lean more on former first-round pick Mark Ingram (386 rushing yards, 4.9 per-carry average) and the electric Darren Sproles (824 total yards, four touchdowns). Khiry Robinson (54 carries for 224 yards) will also see time in the backfield mix.
The only other players on the Saints' injury report were safety Rafael Bush, who practiced in full with a ankle injury and is listed as probable, and linebacker Keyunta Dawson who is questionable with a calf injury.