If this were college football, the Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints Thursday matchup would highlight Rivalry Week. The two NFC South teams have also had some hate towards one another. However, this year has featured much less trash talking than before as the Falcons are undefeated and the Saints have yet to find consistency. Things could get harder for the Saints in Week 6 as they will be without yet another weapon with Marques Colston hurt.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Colston suffered a separated shoulder against the Philadelphia Eagles and is not expected to play in Week 6 against the Falcons. Rapoport writes that Colston is expected to miss significant time on the field which is a huge hit to the Saints who sit at 1-4 on the season. The receiver has 200 yards on the season, but had yet to grab a touchdown, much like most of the Saints offensive playmakers.
With Colston out, Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks will be the top two targets for Drew Brees. The Falcons would be wise to also pay close attention to CJ Spiller who could become a major part in the passing game with one wide receiver out. Spiller has played just a limited amount of time so far this year, but he has already racked up 132 yards in the receiving game including a game-winning touchdown. He has become a nice safety blanket for Brees to work with while inconsistency remains in the rest of the roster.
Brees and company are well aware they must begin to step things up. The team is sitting at 1-4. A loss to the Falcons could put their season on ice. Brees admits he is frustrated with how the season has turned out. After losing his top offensive weapon in Jimmy Graham, the quarterback dealt with shoulder injuries and now the losses continue to pile up. However, a win against Atlanta puts the team in contention once again.
"I mean (I'm) not really happy with the way things are going thus far," Brees said, via Nola.com. "You could say I'm a little bit angry, disappointed, frustrated, chip on the shoulder. I am harnessing that into something positive. I don't think we are playing as well offensively as I know we can. I don't think we are playing as well as a team as I know we can."
