When NFL owners and the NFL Players Association agreed to add a 17th regular-season game to the schedule, fans wondered where the 17th game would come from.

With a 16 game schedule, a team plays each team in their division twice, along with a single game against each team out of an NFC and AFC division, rotating each of those two divisions on an annual basis. The other two games were against the opponent from the other same conference divisions that finished in the same place in their division the prior season.

In other words, the NFC South is matched up with the NFC East and AFC East. There are two NFC opponents include the Seahawks and Packers. The Saints, Seahawks, and Packers all finished first in their divisions last season.

But with the 17th game, teams now have either an extra home or extra road game, against a team from the opposing conference that finished in the same place in their division. The opponent from the division in the opposing conference will be one that it had not been scheduled to play based on the annual rotation of intraconference divisional opponents.

That's a wordy way of saying this Sunday, the Saints 17th game is a road contest against the 7-2 Tennessee Titans, owners of the second to best record in the NFL.

Both teams released their first injury report of the week today, with major impact players unable to practice for both squads.

New Orleans All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara did not practice due to a knee injury.

According to Saints insider Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Kamara's injury is a mild sprain.

In addition to Kamara missing practice due to injury, so did All-Pro left tackle Terron Armstead (knee/shoulder), defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson (foot), and rookie defensive end Peyton Turner (shoulder).

Three other Saints were limited.

LP - limited participant           FP - full participant         DNP - did not practice/participate

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

InjuryWednesday
SC.J. Gardner-JohnsonFootDNP
DEPayton TurnerShoulderDNP
RBAlvin KamaraKneeDNP
TTerron ArmsteadKnee/ShoulderDNP
WRTy MontgomeryHamstringLP
DECarl GrandersonShoulderLP
TRyan RamczykNIRLP

 

TENNESSEE TITANS

PositionNameInjuryWednesday
FBTory CarterHipDNP
SDane CruikshankKneeDNP
LBBud DupreeKneeDNP
CBChris JacksonFootDNP
LBHarold LandryHamstringDNP
LBDavid LongHamstringDNP
CBGreg MabinAnkleDNP
DTJeffrey SimmonsAnkleDNP
WRA.J. BrownKneeLP
LBNick DzubnarKneeLP
LBRashaan EvanAnkleLP
TKendall LammBackLP
TTaylor LewanKneeLP

 

Tennessee (7-1) hosts New Orleans (5-3) this Sunday at noon.

Listen to the entire game, along with the postgame show, and The Point After postgame call-in show with Bobby Hebert on ESPN Lafayette.

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