Saints Offensive Lineman to Miss Thursday Night Football

The New Orleans Saints will be alarmingly shorthanded for Week 7's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, offensive lineman Andrus Peat is expected to miss the game with a pec strain suffered in Week 6's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

It seems the entire #Saints team is banged up, and here is one more: New Orleans guard Andrus Peat suffered a pec strain last week and source said he's considered week-to-week. That indicates he'll miss this week against the #AZCardinals.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 19, 2022

Peat joins wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry as Saints stars likely to miss Thursday's game. Peat exited after 40 snaps on Sunday against the Bengals, missing much of the second half. Lewis Kidd replaced him in the lineup.

Peat is a long-time starter for the Saints at left guard. A three-time Pro Bowler, he had struggled to begin the season, earning a 48.5 overall grade Pro Football Focus. Peat has typically received poor marks from PFF, even during his Pro Bowl peak. From 2018 to 2020, he earned grades of 43.8, 49.5, and 61.2.

Peat joined the Saints in 2015 as their 13th overall pick in the NFL Draft. His ascension coincided with a return to dominance for the Saints offense: the team ranked top five in scoring for five consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2020. The retirement of legendary quarterback Drew Brees promptly put an end to that streak; the Saints ranked 19th in scoring in 2021.