Saints will rely on next man up mentality to get past Falcons in Week 4 matchup

The 2-1 New Orleans Saints enter today's game against the 1-2 Atlanta Falcons, who are hitting on both sides of the ball. New Orleans is expected to have Taysom Hill and DT Khalen Saunders back in action, but will be without several others.

Starters or key contributors such as C Erik McCoy (groin IR), RG Cesar Ruiz (knee), LB Demario Davis (hamstring) and WR AT Perry (hamstring) were declared ruled out before the end of the week. Running back Alvin Kamara (ribs/hip), WR Chris Olave (hamstring) and WR Cedrick Wilson (ankle) are considered game-winning decisions, but Olave and Kamara are expected to play.

Kamara is likely to play after being a major participant in practice later in the week. Either Olave or Wilson, if not both, could also be leaning towards at least starting the contest.

Prepare for Saints-Falcons Week 4: Everything you need to know now!

The Saints did not sign WR Equanimeous St. Brown or Kevin Austin Jr. from the practice squad this week. That means the Saints would only have Rashid Shaheed, undrafted rookie Mason Tipton or fifth-round rookie Bub Means at wide receiver if none of them started.

NFL teams often adopt a “next man up” philosophy when dealing with injuries. Regardless of who can't keep up, this is still an important game for the NFC South standings.

Here's a look at some of the “next men” the Saints will play against the Falcons today. They will either be pushed into the starting lineup in place of injured starters or will take on more prominent roles due to potential injury limitations to key players.

• Shane Lemieux
• Landon Young
• Kyle Hergel

Replacing McCoy at center is a tall order. Doing this while also trying to fill Ruiz's spot at right-back makes it even more difficult.

The good news is that the Saints knew this was going to happen all week. So if they were smart, they decided their lineup early on to build as much cohesion as possible and strengthen communication as much as possible.

John Hendrix of the Saints News Network has speculated that New Orleans will keep Patrick at his left guard spot, with Lemieux starting at center and Young at the right guard spot. In this case, Oli Udoh, Nick Saldiveri and Hergel would be the substitutes.

Only one team has fewer than Atlanta's three sacks so far this season. The Falcons also performed well and were in 28th place after three games. New Orleans needs to bounce back on offense after struggling last week. Whether they get one or not will depend on a hastily reshuffled offensive line.

• Mason Tipton
• Bub means

Even if Olave plays, he could be limited or the team could only use him in certain situations to avoid taking further risks. Additionally, no pass catcher on this team other than Olave, Rashid Shaheed or Alvin Kamara has established themselves as a legitimate target for QB Derek Carr.

Tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau, particularly Johnson, could be a bigger part of the passing attack against Atlanta. Depending on his health, Kamara could also be used as a receiver. A wideout other than Shaheed or Olave will need to step up to keep the defense honest, especially given the issues along the offensive line.

The team has liked Tipton since the start of this offseason. He has good speed and is showing some improvement as a route runner. Means has also shown some good running ability and contested catching ability. Taysom Hill will play a role as both a runner and receiver.

Expect the Saints to rely on their running game today. However, to win the game they need to achieve some success in the air. The emergence of Tipton or Means will not only be a big help today, but will also help diversify the offense in the coming weeks by providing another threat.

• Pete Werner
• Willie Gay Jr
• Anfernee Orji

There's no denying that the Saints will miss Davis, one of the league's best defenders at any position. This is just the third start Davis has missed since 2016 and the first game he has missed due to injury in his 13-year career.

Werner is already a central part of the defense. He played in 81% of the unit's snaps this year and recorded 173 tackles over the past two seasons. However, he will likely be the signal-caller for the defense now and will be counted on to make more big plays. He's no Davis, but he needs to step up to minimize his absence.

Gay was signed this offseason to improve the athleticism of the linebacking corps. Due to an early back injury, he was only used in 24% of defensive snaps in three games and had just eight total tackles. You can be sure that he will be much more active and productive this week.

Orji was one of the stars of training camp and pre-season. The Saints often only employ two linebackers and an additional defensive back. If they go to three linebackers, Orji will likely be the guy. His athletic ability and momentum in training camp will have to make up for his lack of experience.

Last Sunday, the Saints gave up a whopping 317 yards combined to RB Saquon Barkley and TE Dallas Goedert. With Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts from Atlanta, they now face another dynamic RB/TE combination. To beat bitter rival Atlanta, they will have to contain both (especially Robinson) and find a way to do it without Davis.