All signs point to Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga taking the field this week. Fuaga has dealt with injury all year, and finally missed a game last week. Meanwhile, Penning got injured in the New Orleans Saints' first preseason game. Both men were full participants in Thursday's practice.
Against the Buffalo Bills, the Saints are set to have their starting offensive linemen on the field for the first time this season. It didn't take that long, though a quarter of the season has nearly gone by without the top O-line seeing the field, but better late than never, right?
After being the emergency offensive lineman last week, the fourth-year man is set to see his first meaningful snaps of the 2025 season. If Penning gets the start on Sunday, it will also be his NFL debut on the inside. Despite the lack of experience at guard, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier says that the team is really excited by the physicality he's already shown.
With their healthy offensive line, the Saints can take advantage of this one Bills defensive weakness
Heading into week four, the Buffalo Bills are clearly one of the top teams in the National Football League. Yet they do have one achilles heel: their run defense. They've given up 468 rushing yards, which is around 156 yards per game.
However, despite their lack of run defense, people across the country seem to think that the Saints still have zero chance at a win. Currently, the undefeated Buffalo Bills are 15.5 point favorites. But there are two big things that most people are missing: the fact that the Saints will have a fully healthy offensive line all season, and the fact that they have a future hall of famer in the backfield in Alvin Kamara.
Kamara has only played against the Bills once, during his rookie season. That game, which also took place in Buffalo in the afternoon, he would have over 100 rushing yards in the 47-10 victory. This time, with a lot more experince under his belt, he once again needs to be the main man in Upstate New York.
The Bills have also ruled out star defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who is the highest-graded interior defensive lineman on Pro Football Focus with a grade of 92.1. So an already poor run defense that will now be without perhaps the one guy that was able to do anything, versus an offensive line that's finally healthy and a HOF running back? The game really might be closer than some think.