Saints will be without their two top wide receivers against Broncos
Oct 16, 2024, 1:42 PM
The New Orleans Saints had already taken a massive hit to their passing game but on Wednesday ahead of meeting the Denver Broncos, there was even more bad news for the black and gold.
Both of the Saints’ top receivers in Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave will miss Thursday night’s contest. That comes while the Who Dats had already turned to rookie Spencer Rattler at quarterback, who is filling in for the injured four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr. This also comes in addition to the Saints being without do-it-all offensive weapon Taysom Hill.
Shaheed, an All-Pro last season, has 349 yards and three touchdowns on 20 catches through six games. Olave has 280 yards and a touchdown on 23 catches in 2024.
Rattler got his first start last Sunday when the Saints lost 51-27 to their division foe Tampa Bay. The rookie fifth-rounder looked pretty good, throwing for 243 yards on 22-of-40 passing while adding a touchdown but he threw two picks.
Rattler may not even be starting for Carr, if Hill had been healthy. The normal tight end has been a primary quarterback for about nine games in his NFL career thus far. The Saints have gone 7-2 over in Hill’s eight seasons in New Orleans when he acts mostly as the quarterback.
The confusing web all means that the Saints will be without some serious firepower against Denver. And the break comes at a huge time for the Broncos, who are expected to be without star defender Pat Surtain II. PS2 suffered a concussion during Denver’s last game.
It’s not uncommon for Thursday Night Football games to be heavily impacted by injuries, but those tunning in should expect to see Bub Means and Riley Moss fighting on the outside instead of Shaheed and Surtain. All the while rookies Rattler and Bo Nix sling the pill for two teams battling around the .500 mark.