The New Orleans Saints picked up a big win over the Chicago Bears last weekend, pushing their record to 5-4 and vaulting themselves into first place in the NFC South.
While the victory was obviously nice and all, one major question remained afterward: what was up with the usage of running back Alvin Kamara?
Kamara only played in 49 percent of the Saints’ offensive snaps in Week 9, which is a rather stark statistic given how important he typically has been to New Orleans’ offense.
And here’s an interesting number: in the other 10 games in Kamara’s NFL career where he played in less than half of his team’s snaps, the Saints won by an average of 25 points (h/t Nick Underhill of NOF Network). That means Kamara’s usage was only limited in those games because they were blowouts.
The Bears win, on the other hand, was a seven-point game, so what exactly is going on with Kamara?
Adam Holt of A to Z Sports wonders if Kamara is injured or if the Saints merely do not trust him enough at this point. Or, perhaps Kamara himself is frustrated.
Holt qualifies his statement by saying it’s all speculation on his part and that there is no actual evidence to support any of that. He goes on to say that it’s entirely possible that New Orleans simply preferred Taysom Hill against Chicago for whatever reason, and it certainly paid off, as Hill carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards while logging four catches for 13 yards and a touchdown.
Kamara missed the first three games of the season due to a suspension. In the six contests he has played, he has rushed for 346 yards and a couple of touchdowns while averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He has also caught 43 passes for 272 yards and a score.
The 28-year-old was selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft and has been a critical part of their offense ever since, making the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons.
New Orleans will take on the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.
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