Keenan Lewis, Curtis Lofton, Pierre Thomas miss Saints practice

The Cincinnati Bengals will likely be without several starters on Sunday, but so too could the New Orleans Saints. During Wednesday's practice, the Saints were without three key starters, including cornerback Keenan Lewis, who is playing like one of the best corners in football.

Lewis is dealing with a knee injury that was painful to say the least, but wasn't bad enough to hold him out of the entire Week 10 loss to the 49ers. Lewis left early in the game, but eventually returned while playing through the injury that could cause him to miss this week. Though he missed practice Wednesday, Lewis maintains he'll be ready for Sunday.

"I’m hoping to go, doing a lot of rehab," Lewis said. "I’m feeling better every day and I plan on being ready for the game."

Lewis said he has been dealing with soreness in his left knee for most of the season. But clearly it was made worse by a collision with 49ers tight end Vernon Davis on a deep incomplete pass, which left Lewis in significant pain on the field.

As for other key Saints being out, linebacker Curtis Lofton was also held out Wednesday. This, coming off a 10-tackle performance vs. the 49ers for the starting inside backer. He also played every snap in that game, but popped up on the Wednesday report with an ankle injury.

Running back Pierre Thomas has started four games this year, but could miss his fourth straight game this week with a shoulder injury.