The New Orleans Saints are one of the most injured teams in the NFL. It has become an annual experience in recent years. That factor has many fans and media members scratching their heads. Regardless, Week 6 proved costly on that front, too.

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, multiple key defenders went down with injuries. You could tell that was the case in one of the worse second half performances in franchise history. 

Alontae Taylor suffers injury vs. Buccaneers

Taylor suffered an injury in the first quarter. It was a shoulder injury, but he returned to the game just before halftime. It's unknown if the injury could force him to miss time, but his quick return could be a good sign for his outlook going forward.

Tyrann Mathieu also suffered a forearm injury. According to Nick Underhill, the injury to Mathieu is hoped to not force him to miss any time. 

Hope is that Tyrann Mathieu won’t miss time, per source. Had a forearm contusion and some nerve issue, but strength and motion came back.

He'll get an MRI to confirm there isn’t further damage, but outlook is currently hopeful.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) October 13, 2024

That would be ideal, considering the already lack of depth at that position for the Saints. 

Johnathan Abram played well at times against Tampa, but the Saints have already lost Will Harris, a former starter, for at least the next three games. Jordan Howden has shown the inconsistencies that kept him out of the starting entering the regular season, too.

If Mathieu has to miss any time whatsoever, the safety position becomes a glaring weak spot for a unit that looked extremely shaky against a division rival in Week 6.

Kool-Aid McKinstry's role moving forward

Paulson Adebo got an interception against Tampa in Week 6. That being said, he also got another pass interference call against him. It's becoming a weekly occurrence for him.

Adebo now has eight penalties on the season so far, including five PI calls in the last three games for New Orleans. While somehow making an impact play on the positive side for his team nearly every week, he's also costing them at least once in an important way, too. 

By the way, the rest of the Saints defense has just one defensive pass interference/holding call against them this season. Marshon Lattimore and Alontae Taylor are not getting called for it at nearly the rate of Adebo through six matchups. 

Accordingly, it is possible that rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry starts getting more defensive snaps due to multiple factors. Adebo's inconsistency and Taylor's injury could both play a role in coming weeks for New Orleans. 

McKinstry has flashed some impressive coverage skills so far this season and helped out plenty when others have dealt with ailments. They may be smart to give him more of a role on defense.

Dennis Allen's back is against the wall after, yet another, slow start during his time at head coach. He could choose to pull the rookie towards more playing time, simply to try to help spark improvement on that side of the football. 

The Saints cannot dwell on this divisional loss for long. The Denver Broncos, headlined by Sean Payton, are next up for New Orleans on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

Spencer Rattler should be the last person to blame for Saints’ loss to Buccaneers in Week 6

He was impressive in his first start.