The Saints enjoyed a resounding win over the Raiders yesterday, but their backfield lost a key contributor in the process. Veteran running back Mark Ingram has suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain, and is likely to miss the next three to four weeks, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
As Rapoport notes, the news could have have been much worse for the 32-year-old. Still, his absence will be felt by New Orleans, which has seen success in turning to a run-heavy offense. The team ranks eighth in the league with an average of 141 yards per game on the ground. Ingram has chipped in with 197 yards this season, as he continues his second stint with the Saints.
The former Heisman winner ended his eight-year tenure with the team in 2019, when he signed with the Ravens. That resulted in his second career Pro Bowl nod, as he totaled 1,265 yards and 15 touchdowns. He lost the starter’s role midway through the following season, however, and found himself on the rebuilding Texans last year. That move was rather brief; Houston traded him back to New Orleans for a seventh-round pick in October, allowing Ingram to once again serve as Alvin Kamara‘s backup via a one-year extension which will expire in March.
The latter, to no surprise, leads the Saints in rushing yards in 2022. Swiss-Army knife Taysom Hill ranks second, but the team’s depth will be tested without Ingram for a significant stretch. Fellow veteran Latavius Murray chose to sign with the Broncos (despite the offer of a 53-man roster spot from the Saints), as Denver has searched for a stop-gap Javonte Williams replacement. That leaves Dwayne Washington as the only other back on the Saints’ active roster.
Looking to make up more ground in the wide-open NFC South, the 3-5 Saints will be without Ingram when they host the Ravens next Monday. How many more contests he misses could dictate their aggressiveness in acquiring a short-term replacement.