Things went from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens. Second-year left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. left the game on a trainer's cart and was quickly ruled out with an ankle injury.
The Saints offense answered a 14-play scoring drive by Baltimore by only moving backwards; Trey Hendrickson, the Saints' own former third-round draft pick, sacked quarterback Tyler Shough for a loss of four yards. Then Banks was penalized for a false start, and Shough's next pass attempt fell incomplete. Shough was sacked again on third down but Banks was injured on the play. Ravens defensive end Mike Green brought Shough down and rolled past the quarterback, tripping up Banks from behind. The left tackle had just planted
his left leg while blocking an opponent when Green leveled him. Banks immediately clutched at his lower leg before being carted off.
It's a huge loss for New Orleans. Banks was their first-round pick in last year's draft and is expected to play every down every Sunday. With him sidelined and Taliese Fuaga starting at right tackle, the only other available lineman with tackle experience is Asim Richards, a backup. Recent waiver claim Mason Murphy is a healthy scratch while rookies Alan Herron and Alex Wollschlaeger are both inactive on the practice squad. Hopefully this wasn't as bad as it looked for Banks.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints LT Kelvin Banks Jr. carted off with leg injury vs. Ravens
