Unfortunately for the fans, injuries have prevented the biggest head to head matchup on "Thursday Night Football" this week. The New Orleans Saints square off against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

Under normal circumstances, fans could look forward to Chris Olave lining up across from Patrick Surtain II. That would feature a matchup of a young ascending wide receiver against one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

Circumstances aren't normal, however. Both Olave and Surtain suffered concussions in last week's games. Surtain left after the first play of the game. Olave didn't make it much further. He took a helmet to helmet hit and left the game on the third play.

The short week makes it a foregone conclusion each player will miss Thursday's game. For the Saints, it thins out an already thin position room. The issue is only made worse by an injury to Rashid Shaheed. The Saints will be depending on receivers they thought wouldn't even be a factor in 2024.

For the Broncos, losing your best cornerback will naturally make the pass coverage. The impact was noticeable a week ago. It wouldn't be surprising to see them recover. Denver has an excellent set of cornerbacks, including Riley Moss. Against a hampered wide receiver corps, the advantage still goes to Denver.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: A premier matchup will be missing from 'TNF' due to injuries