Stumbling blocks
Bills, Saints both far From their best heading into Thanksgiving matchup
NEW ORLEANS — Very little has come easy for the Saints this season, particularly in the Superdome, where they’ve lost twice after leading in the final minute of regulation.
Despite that and the three-game slide they’re currently on, the Saints (5-5) are in the thick of the NFC playoff picture heading into a Thanksgiving night home date with the Bills (6-4), who’ve had their own stumbles lately.
“Losing wears on a team. Losing is tough,” said Saints offensive lineman James Hurst, who has been thrust into starting roles at both tackle and guard for injury-plagued New Orleans this season. “It’s easy to make excuses, but the type of guys we have in our locker room aren’t looking to make excuses.
“Everyone is just looking at their job, trying to understand what they can do better,” Hurst added. “Everyone is really accountable for that and I think that’s all you can really ask for.”
Whether saying and doing the right things makes up for missing talent is another matter. New Orleans’ top offensive player, Alvin Kamara, hurt his knee during a two-point loss to Atlanta three weeks ago and has missed two straight games. Saints starting offensive tackles Ryan Ramczyk (knee) and Terron Armstead (knee, shoulder) both sat out last week.
Veteran Mark Ingram has been New Orleans’ primary running back in Kamara’s absence, but now he’s showing up on the injury report with an ailing knee and missing practice time as well.
That has only complicated matters for quarterback Trevor Siemian, who’s lost his first three starts since being pressed into a regular starting role because of Jameis Winston’s season-ending knee injury.
“Any time we’re not winning, you are always self-reflecting, saying, ‘Hey, what can I do to get us over the edge and get some wins rattled off.’ The answer is: I have to play a little better at times,” said Siemian, who threw his first two interceptions in Sunday’s loss at Philadelphia. “Me and everybody else haven’t played good enough to win . ... But I’m looking forward to playing this week.”
The Bills have lost two of three, including a stunning 9-6 defeat against Jacksonville and a surprisingly uncompetitive 41-15 drubbing — at home — against Indianapolis last week.
“You can’t feel sorry for yourself; you can’t let one week affect another,” Allen said.