Saints rookie sensation Colston, DE Smith out
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Saints leading receiver Marques Colston and defensive end Will Smith were inactive for Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
It essentially was the third game missed by Colston, who left with a sprained left ankle and no catches just a couple of plays into the Saints' first series of a Nov. 19 loss to Cincinnati.
Despite going two games without a catch, Colston was still the Saints' top receiver for both yardage and touchdowns going into the game against San Francisco. The rookie had 54 catches for 869 yards and seven touchdowns in his first nine games, which led the league to that point in the season.
Smith, who has a bruised right knee, has been a force at defensive end for the Saints. He made 24 tackles, assisted on 15 others and had 8 1/2 sacks. Veteran Willie Whitehead replaced Smith.
San Francisco was missing starting cornerback Shawntae Spencer and tight end Eric Johnson, who is expected to miss two weeks with a sprained left knee. Johnson has 32 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
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