PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 13: Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 13, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Saints have played much of the regular season without Drew Brees, but losing Alvin Kamara in the playoffs would be even more costly.
Playing without Brees forced the Saints to change their offense in the middle of the regular season. Losing Alvin Kamara in the playoffs could be even more difficult for New Orleans to overcome.
Kamara has already tested positive for COVID-19 once and is now awaiting the results of a second test that could confirm the initial diagnosis. If the follow-up test comes back positive, Kamara would immediately be ruled out of his team’s regular-season finale against the Panthers and he would “most likely” be ruled out for a potential Wild Card game as well.
Can the Saints survive without Kamara?
The versatile running back is arguably the Saints’ most important offensive weapon. His ability to threaten opposing defenses on the ground and through the air makes New Orleans’ attack really difficult to stop. His terrific skills as a route runner really help Brees keep the offense on schedule.
New Orleans does have a quality backup running back in the form of Latavius Murray, but he’s a more conventional player. He can grind out yards on the ground, but he’s nowhere near as dangerous as Kamara in the passing game. The Saints have other receivers to rely on without Kamara on the field, but losing him does make life easier for opposing defenses.
Losing Kamara for the Wild Card round likely won’t stop the Saints from being favored in their first playoff game, but it will make advancing in the postseason much more difficult for Sean Payton and his team. It’s a huge issue for New Orleans as they try to give Brees one more Super Bowl title before he calls it a career.