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It’s looking like tough sledding is in store for the New Orleans Saints offensive line again this week, with bookend tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk both ruled out against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night while managing knee injuries. That puts veteran backups James Hurst and Jordan Mills as the next men up at left tackle and right tackle, respectively (with second-year pro Calvin Throckmorton starting in place of Andrus Peat at left guard).
Facing them is a solid Dallas defensive front spearheaded by November’s Defensive Rookie of the Month: Micah Parsons, a college linebacker who has spent a lot of time playing off the edge, and thriving in that role for the Cowboys. Parsons has racked up 45 quarterback pressures and double-digit sacks through 11 games, primarily rushing off Dallas’ left side against opposing right tackles. That puts him on a collision course with Mills, who has only taken a single snap this season with 84 starts at right tackle (mainly with the Buffalo Bills) behind him.
On top of the threat Parsons poses off his side of the formation, look for DeMarcus Lawrence to make an impact in his first game back from injured reserve. Lawrence has bagged 10 pressures and 3 sacks in three games against the Saints before. While he has also mainly been a left end in recent years, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn should find ways to get both of his best edge rushers on the field together and send them at weak links in the Saints offensive line. Unfortunately for New Orleans, it’s looking like they have more vulnerabilities than areas of strength on Thursday night.
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