Darren Sproles (hand) out for New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have officially ruled running back Darren Sproles out for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, NOLA.com reported.

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Sproles suffered a broken hand two weeks ago and was held out of Monday Night Football. Some thought he could return as early as this week, but that won't happen.

The combination of Chris Ivory, Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram had 23 rushes for 136 against the Eagles last week. That rotation will continue to fill in for Sproles.

The Saints would love to have Sproles, one of their top playmakers, against the rival Falcons. The team has to start winning now if it plans to make a playoff push. A win against the undefeated Falcons would be a stong first step.

Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.