The New Orleans Saints head to Seattle for a first round NFL playoff matchup against the Seahawks at Qwest Field. The Saints, though, will be missing a key part of their backfield when they hit the field in Seattle after running back Chris Ivory was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, ending his season. In last weekend's season-finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ivory injured his foot and will be unable to recover in time to make it back for the playoffs.
Ivory was the Saints leading rusher in 2010, picking up 736 yards on the ground as Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush dealt with various injuries throughout the year. Signed as an undrafted free agent, the trip to Washington would have been a homecoming, of sorts, for Ivory. Before a dismissal from the Washington State University football team, Ivory spent his time playing in Pullman, also seeing the field off-and-on due to injury. The Saints picked him up as a free agent prior to the season and he's come through quite nicely this year.
In his place, Bush and Thomas will carry the load for the Saints on Sunday. The Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints open the 2010 NFL playoffs this Saturday at Qwest Field. The game takes place at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised by NBC.