By Pat Yasinskas

If you go by record or reputation, you can look at Saturday’s playoff game and say the New Orleans Saints should be able to win with one arm tied behind their back.

That might be exactly what the Saints have to do.

They’re heading into Seattle’s Qwest Field without running backs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas. Both were placed on injured reserve this week. Ivory has a foot injury that will require surgery. Thomas has an ankle injury that kept him out much of the season and finally sidelined him after a brief, but promising, late-season comeback.

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By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune

Reggie Bush was back in his element Wednesday.

Camera crews mobbed his locker. Reporters thrust mics and lights in his face and peppered him with questions for nearly an hour during the New Orleans Saints‘ media session.

He was the topic of conversation in press conferences for both coaches as they prepared for Saturday’s NFC wild-card playoff game between the Saints and Seattle Seahawks.

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By James Varney,

When the New Orleans Saints buckled down Wednesday morning in preparation for Saturday’s wild-card playoff game against the host Seattle Seahawks, the first topic Coach Sean Payton said he stressed was turnovers.

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Pierre Thomas will not play in the playoffs with the New Orleans Saints.  The team has placed the running back on injured / reserve.

The Saints have signed Joique Bell from the Eagle’s practice squad to take his place.  Thomas re-aggrevated an ankle injury last week.

This comes on the heels of the Saints putting leading running back Chris Ivory on the injured / reserve list as well.  So, the team’s two top rushers are now out for the postseason.

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Pierre Thomas to IR.

By Pat Yasinskas

Final Power Ranking: 5
Preseason Power Ranking: 2

Biggest surprise: Chris Ivory. The undrafted rookie running back saved the Saints from a potentially catastrophic situation. With a preseason injury to Lynell Hamilton and early-season injuries to Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, the Saints were desperate for help at running back. They brought in veterans Julius Jones and Ladell Betts, but neither did much. Instead, it was Ivory who stepped up and gave the Saints enough of a threat in the running game to keep opposing defenses from loading up on the passing game. Ivory probably has secured a spot in the running back rotation for the foreseeable future, though he will miss the playoffs with a foot injury.

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While champs falter, a healthy Michael Vick can lead Eagles over formidable field

By Jeffri Chadiha
ESPN.com

Here are 10 questions on the NFC playoffs: 1. Will the Saints repeat? No. The Saints proved they had staying power by winning 11 games this season, but they won’t have the luxury of home-field advantage this year. Their offense isn’t nearly as dominant without a strong running game to complement Drew Brees‘ passing, and leading rusher Chris Ivory recently became the latest back to go down with an injury. That doesn’t mean New Orleans will wither away in the first round. The Saints are definitely good enough to beat the NFC West champion Seahawks on the road. But they’re going into the playoffs with too many dinged-up players to win again at Atlanta, and any games played in chilly inclement weather (see Chicago or Philadelphia) won’t bode well for them, either.

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