New Orleans Saints rookie running back Chris Ivory, still bothered by a hamstring injury that he suffered during a Week 14 victory over the St. Louis Rams, believes he will play Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons, *The Times-Picayune* reported Thursday.
Ivory, who leads the Saints with 683 yards and five rushing touchdowns, was ruled out of last Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He was limited in practice Thursday.
"I can't really open up like I would like to," Ivory said. "So I'm not full speed yet. I'd say about 90, 95 percent. So I've kind of got to pace myself at what speed I go in practice, so that I will be ready for Monday.
"Earlier in practice, it was feeling pretty good for the most part," he added. "But as we got to going, I tried to open up, and I'm probably not 100 percent, so once I tried to open up, I felt that grabbing feeling on it ... I think all that will get worked out this week. A little more treatment these next couple days, I think that will help."