The New Orleans Saints headed into the matchup against the Atlanta Falcons with a weakened wide receiver room and it only got worse from there as Rashid Shaheed had to exit the game early and head into the locker room. The team announced that he was questionable to return at halftime with a thigh injury.
Shaheed has been clearly dealing with a leg injury during the game, spending time both in the injury tent and on the exercise bike. He had been fighting through it, though, with two catches for nine yards before going back to the locker room. His injury reached its peak as he had to lay out for a pass and got up gingerly. The emotion was felt as he slammed his helmet on the ground when he got to the sideline.
The Saints were already without Michael Thomas for the day. A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden Jr., and Keith Kirkwood saw increased snap counts in the first half.