The New Orleans Saints' offense continues to struggle through 11 weeks of the season, falling to the Cincinnati Bengals. The unit has been inconsistent through many of the games, suffering unexpected losses along with way. The lone bright spot appeared to be rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks, but an injury will knock him out for a month stalling the team even more.
According to ESPN, Cooks will miss up to a month after breaking his thumb in the loss to the Bengals. The rookie was having a breakout season with the Saints, putting up 550 yards and three touchdowns while leading the underachieving group. He continued to prove himself as a dynamic option and strong route runner while developing key chemistry with quarterback Drew Brees. Losing Cooks puts a huge hole on the field, one that the Saints might struggle to fill.
New Orleans just put up on of their worst offensive performances on Sunday, recording just 10 points, their lowest home score since 2006. Brees could not put together a play longer than 17 yards and losing one of their tod targets is not going to help the effort. To make matters worse, the Saints are still dealing with injuries to Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson as their list of offensive players begins to dwindle down.
With Cooks out, the pressure immediately falls on Robert Meachem, Marques Colston and Kenny Stills. Meachem has been dealing with an ankle injury as Joseph Morgan and Nick Toon fill in for him at times. Travaris Cadet is also working in the short passing game with Brees.
Can Brees survive the next few matchups without Cooks? Colston has been solid for the team, but Stills has struggled with consistency. The Saints still rank second in the league in total offense and third in passing offense, but Cooks was a big part in those numbers. New Orleans has Joe Morgan who say out in a two-game suspension. He had one catch against the Bengals, but the Saints believe he will play a bigger role in the coming weeks.
New Orleans faces the Baltimore Ravens next week on Monday night football. At 4-6 , the playoffs are still within reach considering the overall poor play happening in the NFC South. Losing Cooks is a big hit, but not one that could derail the season.
