Breaking down the Saints' injury report entering Week 2

The New Orleans Saints will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a fiery Week 2 matchup. Which Saints players could be held out of the game?

Unfortunately, the Saints' injury report that was released on Thursday is rather substantial. The report names 11 players in total, many of them key starters; the only player that did not participate at all was cornerback Paulson Adebo.

Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Marcus Maye, and Jameis Winston were among the limited participants, each dealing with his own nagging issue.

The only silver lining may be that the Bucs' injury report is somehow worse -- Tampa Bay's starting quarterback, top four wide receivers, top running back, and two starting offensive linemen were all limited in some capacity on Wednesday.

11 players were listed on the injury report ahead of Saints-Bucs clash in Week 2

Another sliver of good news is that Michael Thomas appears perfectly healthy to play. The Saints will need all their talented wideouts -- Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave -- out on the field to beat a stiff Bucs defense.

On the offensive side, Winston and Kamara's injuries are definitely something to monitor for the rest of the week.

The Saints' defensive unit could also struggle more than usual given the listed players on the injury report; last year, NOLA memorably shutout Tom Brady, yet that was when the Saints' defense was at full strength.

With Cam Jordan and Marcus Maye dealing with small injuries, and with Paulson Adebo out for his second consecutive game, the Saints head into Sunday's matchup already battered and bruised.

Jordan underperformed in Week 1 but remains the team's star pass-rusher while Maye forms an elite tandem with Tyrann Mathieu in the backfield. Both those players may still start in Week 2, though they likely won't be at their best.

Given the sheer amount of injuries on both teams, this early season rivalry matchup could get ugly.