Bad news hit the New Orleans Saints on Friday, Jan. 18: per a report from Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Saints starting tight end Ben Watson will miss the NFC championship game due to a sudden bout with appendicitis. Watson sat out the first two practices of the week with an illness designation, and the Saints apparently decided that it would be too dangerous to allow him to suit up against the Los Angeles Rams. Fortunately, at this point it appears Watson will avoid surgery and should make a full recovery.
The Saints will lean on their second tight end, Josh Hill, who actually outsnapped Watson in the regular season with 653 plays logged against Watson’s 507.