New Orleans Saints fans can breathe a sigh of relief as safety Tyrann Mathieu is not expected to miss any time. The defensive captain left the team’s Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early with an arm injury but following evaluations, avoided a major injury.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen confirmed that Mathieu only suffered an arm contusion and will likely play in Week 7 for the team’s Thursday Night Football matchup against the Denver Broncos, per Ian Rapoport. Mathieu is still listed as questionable for the game with an official decision later to come but did not suffer any major damage to his injured arm.
The injury update is a significant one for the Saints, who are already thin at safety with Will Harris on injured reserve. Following Mathieu’s departure against the Buccaneers, New Orleans was limited to just Jordan Howden, Jonathan Abram, and J.T. Gray at the position. Gray is listed as Mathieu’s backup at free safety with no other player at the position on the depth chart.
While Mathieu is expected to take the field, the Saints defense will still likely be without linebacker Pete Werner for the upcoming game. Werner has not played since the team’s Week 4 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Saints prepare for a primetime tilt against Broncos
New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) reacts after Atlanta Falcons place kicker Younghoe Koo (6) (not pictured) kicked a game winning field goal during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
After a hot start to the year, the Saints have fallen to 2-4 in their first six games and have lost quarterback Derek Carr, forcing rookie Spencer Rattler into action. In just his second career start, Rattler is slated to play in his first primetime game against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The Saints will remain at home and take on the equally struggling Denver Broncos, who enter with a record of 3-3. The Broncos are also deploying a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix who will also play in his first primetime contest on Thursday Night Football.
Despite Carr’s absence, the Saints put up the most points of their current four-game losing streak in Week 7 against the Buccaneers. Rattler’s stat line was just average at first glance but made even more impressive considering he played most of the game without leading receiver Chris Olave and several key offensive linemen.
Defense was the primary issue for the Saints against Tampa Bay as they allowed 51 points, their most of the year. A better performance is to be expected against the Broncos, who have yet to post more than 20 points in 2024.
