It rained and straight-up flooded the injuries for the New Orleans Saints. This season’s already been brutal, but then Thursday night came along and said, “Hold my beer.” Just when you think the injury list is long enough, BAM—another blow that no one’s ready for.

Paulson Adebo, the Saints’ cornerback, took a hit—literally. And won’t be back anytime soon. Season-ending injury? Yep, he broke his femur. The kind of injury that makes you wince just hearing about it. Happened in the second quarter while he was going in for a tackle against the Broncos. They had to cart him off, and yeah, it was bad. Adebo was rushed to the hospital for immediate surgery. Coach Dennis Allen was blunt after the game: Adebo’s out for the season, and recovery? Four to five months. Just in time for free agency in March. Talk about terrible timing.

The thing is, Adebo wasn’t just some guy out there. Dude had 52 tackles and 3 interceptions this season. Losing him is like yanking a key card out of an already shaky house of cards. The defense, which was barely hanging on to begin with, just lost a major piece. And Allen? He didn’t hold back either. “We’re dealing with a lot of injuries right now… It is an issue for us, and I think all of us are trying to fight through that.” Translation: It’s bad. Real bad.

But Paulson Adebo’s not the only casualty here. The Saints are a walking, limping, hobbling mess. Derek Carr? Out with an oblique injury. Chris Olave? Recovering from a concussion. Rashid Shaheed? Season’s over—knee surgery. Oh, and the offensive line? Yeah, it’s basically being held together with mere duct tape and hope right now. 

Saints’ injury plague and its impact

Guys like Erik McCoy, Ryan Ramczyk, and Cesar Ruiz are banged up too. Allen was real to have come up with his opinion as well. “We’ve got a rookie quarterback out there with some backup players on the offensive line playing in front of him and the two primary receivers are out of the game.” That’s like tryna drive a car with two flat tires and no gas.

And offensively? They’re in survival mode. Spencer Rattler is stepping in for Carr, but behind that patchwork offensive line, he needs some good luck. Saints were cruising at 2-0, but then, boom, five straight losses. Alvin Kamara didn’t mince words after the game too. “I don’t blame the fans [for leaving early]. It’s on us… There’s a certain standard that you’ve got to play up to.” Yeah, the standard’s there, but right now, they’re barely limping to the starting line, let alone the finish.

Now with Adebo gone, the defense is basically scrambling. He was a playmaker, period. And now they’re left with a huge gaping hole. Oh, and don’t forget! Tanoh Kpassagnon is done for the season with an Achilles injury. Will Harris? Hamstring issue, out. It’s like a defensive black hole, sucking in players left and right. Allen’s frustrated but still trying to stay positive. “I know this team has good football in them. But right now we’re not playing that way.” No kidding.

Looking ahead, the Saints are eyeing their game against the Chargers, but with 10 days to get it together, there’s a glimmer of hope that Carr and a few others might come back. But Adebo? Yeah, he’s done for this season. And damn if that’s not gonna sting for a while.

At this point, the Saints are just trying to hold it together with a bit of tape. And well, a lot of crossed fingers. Injuries have crushed them, and now they’re trying to patch together a competitive roster out of what’s left. Paulson Adebo’s loss? That’s just the cherry on top of this nightmare sundae.