The banged-up backfield of the New Orleans Saints will be without both Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson for Sunday's critical battle with the Green Bay Packers.
The team on Friday announced that Thomas will be sidelined by rib and shoulder injuries while Robinson's tweaked forearm will keep him from suiting up.
The two runners have combined for 303 snaps from scrimmage and 463 of the team's 738 yards on the ground. In their absence, Mark Ingram and Travaris Cadet will carry the load.
Ingram was bottled up for just 16 yards off 10 attempts against the Lionslast week, but nobody on the roster ran with more fury and power before a Week 2 hand injury sidelined him for three tilts. Cadet hasn't seen much work on the ground, but he's an intriguing pass-catcher out of the backfield, making him a strong play to see targets from Drew Brees in the screen game.
Despite its ugly 2-4 record, New Orleans leads the NFL with 6.3 yards per play. If they get can Ingram to play like he did back in September, the Saints will be just fine in the backfield come Sunday.
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