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The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.
Throughout the game, join us as we update you throughout the game with our live blog.
WATCH: Rookie receiver A.T. Perry scored a touchdown on his second NFL reception, with Jameis Winston at QB
Another insane TD throw by Jameis – and what a catch by A.T. PERRY!!#Saints | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/cTXwrRmlj5
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 12, 2023
Whew. Why were the New Orleans Saints keeping A.T. Perry on the bench again? The rookie draft pick stepped up in a huge moment against the Minnesota Vikings after Michael Thomas left the game with a knee injury, catching his first pass in the NFL to gain 23 yards.
Then the Saints called his number again, with Jameis Winston filling in for the injured Derek Carr. Winston threw a fastball to Perry in the end zone for his second career reception — and a much-needed touchdown to cut into Minnesota’s deficit.
Perry’s talents were obvious on his Wake Forest game tape, but the Saints had him working his way up the depth chart as a blocking specialist. It didn’t help that he played the same role in college as Thomas has in the NFL, so there weren’t many opportunities for him so long as the veteran was in the lineup. Here’s hoping he can continue to make the most of the chances he does get.
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The Saints downgraded Michael Thomas (knee) after halftime, saying he would not return against the Vikings:
Things went from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints. After initially announcing he was questionable to return to Week 10’s game with the Minnesota Vikings due to a knee injury, the team downgraded Michael Thomas and ruled out the wide receiver for the remainder of the game.
The offense could really use him. They struggled to get the other receivers going through the first half but they’ll have to go the rest of the way without him. Rookie draft pick A.T. Perry was the next man up at receiver behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Let’s see what he can do.
Thomas hasn’t dealt with any injury issues this year after a series of ankle problems interrupted his career, so hopefully this isn’t a significant ailment. It’s possible the Saints chose to approach the situation conservatively given the large deficit with the bye week up next. We’ll look out for an update on his status.
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WATCH: Saints rookie A.T. Perry gains 23 yards on his first reception in the NFL
A.T. Perry's first NFL catch goes for 23 yards 🙌
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/P7ysZk3Sph
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 12, 2023
Welcome to the NFL, A.T. Perry. The rookie wide receiver stepped into Sunday’s game with the Minnesota Vikings in relief of an injured Michael Thomas and immediately saw a couple of targets from Derek Carr — Perry gained 23 yards on his first look to move the offense from midfield and deep into Vikings territory.
Most of Perry’s rookie year had been spent on the bench until he picked up more of the playbook and started getting into games as a blocking specialist, replacing Keith Kirkwood at the bottom of the rotation in the receiving corps. Still, with all hands on deck there have been few targets to go around for him. It’s encouraging to see the first-year pro out of Wake Forest make the most of his opportunities when the ball does go his way.
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The New Orleans Saints say wide receiver Michael Thomas is questionable to return against the Minnesota Vikings with a knee injury:
The New Orleans Saints announced at the end of the first quarter that wide receiver Michael Thomas would be questionable to return against the Minnesota Vikings with a knee injury.
He received an extended look from team medical staff in the blue sideline tent and was spotted on the bench with his position coach Kodi Burns reviewing plays on a tablet. He was wearing a ball cap, not a helmet, during their first possession in the second quarter.
Thomas exiting did open an opportunity for rookie draft pick A.T. Perry, who caught his first NFL reception to gain 23 yards. But Perry was targeted later and lost his footing on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf, leading to an incomplete pass. He needs more experience.
Update:Â The Saints announced after halftime that Thomas would not return, having ruled him out for the rest of the game.
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Saints activate fullback Adam Prentice from injured reserve for Week 10 vs. Vikings
This was expected: the New Orleans Saints activated fullback Adam Prentice from injured reserve for Week 10’s game with the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced Saturday, bringing back their preferred lead blocker.
Prentice suffered a knee injury in Week 5’s win over the New England Patriots and had been on the mend ever since, but he was able to return to practice this week and should play on Sunday.
What does that mean for Khalen Saunders? The charismatic nose tackle has quickly become a fan-favorite in New Orleans for his work on the other side of the ball, lining up in the backfield at fullback and paving the way for his teammates in short-yardage situations. Saunders will likely see his workload go down offensively, but he’s very much an asset, so don’t look for him to disappear altogether.
And the Saints completed a corresponding roster move to bring up Prentice by waiving veteran wide receiver Keith Kirkwood. Kirkwood mainly worked as a run-blocker out in space earlier this season but saw his reps steadily eroded by players like Lynn Bowden Jr. and rookie draft pick A.T. Perry, who is still searching for his first regular season target. There’s a good chance Kirkwood signs with the Saints practice squad should he clear waivers; undrafted rookie Shaquan Davis is still on the injury list with an undisclosed ailment.
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Saints rookie wide receiver A.T. Perry will make his season debut against the Colts. What should you expect from him?
Rookie wide receiver A.T. Perry will make his season debut for the New Orleans Saints against the Indianapolis Colts. Perry had been a healthy scratch all year, but the Saints opted to sit Keith Kirkwood instead of him for Week 8’s game.
It’ll be interesting to see how Perry is used in his first action. Kirkwood’s primary usage was as a blocker on run plays. He was only targeted four times this year with one catch. Perry showed potential as a pass catcher in preseason (leading the team with a dozen receptions), but he was also arguably the top option with the starters out for those exhibition games.
Perry will more than likely slide into Kirkwood’s role now that the Saints have their full arsenal at wide receiver. Look for him to get limited snaps behind Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed along with Lynn Bowden Jr. Hopefully the rookie can perform well and execute his assignments so he can earn more snaps in the weeks ahead.
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What are the Saints waiting on to let A.T. Perry dress out on game days? They aren’t getting enough out of the other players in their receiving corps to justify leaving him on the bench:
When the New Orleans Saints offense is performing as poorly as it has, every single decision is going under the microscope. Pete Carmichael’s unit has failed to score 25 points in each of their last 10 games. They’ve scored 25 or more points in just six of his 21 games calling plays. So every decision, no matter how small, warrants scrutiny.
Which is why we’re wondering what the plan is for a sixth-round draft pick who hasn’t gotten on the field through five games. What are the Saints waiting on to give A.T. Perry a shot and at least dress him out on game days?
It’s not like the other receivers ahead of him on the depth chart are impressing anyone. And we aren’t talking about Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, or Rashid Shaheed, just to be clear. The other players rounding out the depth chart have left a lot to be desired.
Keith Kirkwood has stepped into Tre’Quan Smith’s old role as a run-blocking specialist — 51 of his 75 snaps have come in that role, telling defenses what the plan is whenever he’s on the field. All three of the passes thrown his way have fallen incomplete.
The decision to play Lynn Bowden Jr. ahead of Perry is even more suspect. He dropped his only target going into Week 5 and has botched his blocking assignments, which isn’t too surprising; he doesn’t have the frame and strength to execute those jobs. He’s built for return duties on special teams at a listed 5-foot-11 and 204 pounds, but the Saints aren’t using him in that role. So why is he getting the nod over Perry?
It’s true that Perry was a more-limited player coming out of college than fans anticipated. He primarily lined up at split end at Wake Forest, giving him few opportunities to work out of the slot, so the Saints have had to coach him up and prepare him for a wider variety of assignments. But is he not ready for the 15 snaps per game that Kirkwood and Bowden have combined for? Is there no way to get the ball to a 6-foot-5, 205-pound rookie eager to make a name for himself in the league?
Every aspect of the Saints offense deserves criticism given how poorly they’ve played over the last calendar year, not just these four games. At some point they must change some things and put different players in position to try and breathe some life into their offense. They need all the help they can get.
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The Saints Week 1 inactive players are headlined by their rookie class, including Kendre Miller and Isaiah Foskey. Here’s the
full list:
Both the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans head into the season opener without many injuries. The Saints had their shortest injury report in years this week. The Saints have already ruled out Tre’Quan Smith. That’s no surprise as he hasn’t practiced since suffering a groin injury earlier in training camp. J.T. Gray was also ruled out with a shoulder injury. Rookie Kendre Miller hasn’t participated all week due to a hamstring injury, but was labeled as questionable.
The Titans only had one player ruled out during the week of practice, cornerback Tre Avery. All other players on their injury report were upgraded to full participants before the week was over.
Here are the final inactives:
Some Saints made sure to seize the opportunities they were given this summer. We believe these 5 standouts performed well enough to win roster spots | @DillySanders
The New Orleans Saints wrapped up their preseason on Sunday night, which now brings the focus to cutting the roster down to just 53 players. The guys on the bubble have had time to make their case, now it’s just up to decision makers in the front office.
Between the rookies, veterans trying to stick around and newcomers trying to introduce themselves to the fanbase there were a lot of interesting players for the Saints. With a team like this, with a lot of players already locked in, there are going to be some guys that performed well but won’t make it in New Orleans. There were also some players that definitely didn’t help their case enough to make the roster.
Here are the names that we felt were on the roster bubble, but performed enough to plead their case about sticking around for a bit:
