WhoDat!656

It's not that the Saints have been hindered by major season-ending injuries, but nagging ailments to key players have contributed to the team's poor starts.

QB Drew Brees' shoulder injury was the blockbuster. The Saints went 0-2 in the game when he got hurt and the game he missed a week later. It's unclear if Brees is fully back to 100 percent, but he has proved to be effective regardless -- and that should only get better as the year goes on.

The offensive line seems to have a new injury creep up every week, which is a big reason for the inconsistency up front. But the Saints are expecting to get standout left tackle Terron Armstead back soon from a knee injury, which is imperative.

The defense, meanwhile, began the year without three key starters (cornerback Keenan Lewis, safety Jairus Byrd and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe). All have returned, though Lewis has been extremely limited while dealing with a nagging hip injury. It would really help if he can get right down the stretch. -- Mike Triplett

Players out for season: S Rafael Bush (chest), LB Davis Tull (shoulder), CB P.J. Williams (hamstring), S Vinnie Sunseri (leg)

Players injured: S Jairus Byrd (knee), LB Dannell Ellerbe (foot), G Jahri Evans (knee), CB Keenan Lewis (hip), T Terron Armstead (knee), P Thomas Morstead (quadriceps), QB Drew Brees (shoulder), WR Marques Colston (shoulder), G Tim Lelito (shoulder), DE Bobby Richardson (hip), RB C.J. Spiller (knee), OT Andrus Peat (knee), DB Damian Swann (concussion)
Total starts missed: 20 -- Byrd (3), Ellerbe (3), Evans (3), Lewis (3), Armstead (2), Morstead (2), Brees (1), Colston (1), Lelito (1), Richardson (1)

Ranking the most banged-up NFL teams from 1-32

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."