Saints starting cornerback reportedly receives two-week suspension from NFL

The Saints will reportedly be without one of their key starters for this Sunday's road game against the Chicago Bears

P.J. Williams, one of the New Orleans Saints' starting cornerbacks, has reportedly been suspended by the NFL for the next two weeks, ESPN's Field Yates reported on Tuesday. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Williams, who was suspended by the league for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, will not appeal his suspension. 

The 78th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Williams has 20 career starts in 39 games with the Saints that includes five starts this season. He has 18 tackles and two passes defensed this season while helping New Orleans get out to a 5-1 start. With Williams out, expect Patrick Robinson, a 10-year veteran who has appeared in each of the Saints' first six games, to replace Williams in the starting lineup for the Saints' upcoming games against the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals. 

Williams, who played collegiately at Florida State, has 125 career tackles to go with three career interceptions and 22 career passes defensed. In 2017, when he recorded a career-high two interceptions while breaking up nine passes and tallying 47 tackles. In 2018, he recorded his first pick-six during New Orleans Week 6 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He matched his career high of nine passes defensed while recording a career-high 53 tackles. 

New Orleans' defense, with Williams as a stater, is 11th in the NFL in both scoring and pass defense. They are also 14th in run defense. While they allowed 24 points in their Week 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints' defense allowed just 10 points in their Week 4 win over the Dallas Cowboys and six points in this past Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Over the past two weeks, New Orleans has been one of the hottest defenses in the NFL.

On Sunday, New Orleans will face a Chicago offense that is 27th in the NFL in scoring, 30th in passing and 26th in rushing. The Bears, who are 3-2 despite their anemic offensive league standings, are three-point favorites to beat the Saints, who have not lost since Teddy Bridgewater replaced an injured Drew Brees under center.