Saints place Alvin Kamara on reserve/COVID-19 list, RB reportedly out Sunday
Alvin Kamara will not get the chance to follow up his six-touchdown Christmas performance. At least in the regular season.
The New Orleans Saints announced Friday that Kamara has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. While the team declined to say if its star running back will miss Sunday’s finale against the Carolina Panthers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Kamara is out for the game.
Placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list means a player has either tested positive for COVID-19 or has been identified as a close contact of a person infected with the virus.
Alvin Kamara delivered a Christmas to remember
Kamara will officially end his season with 932 rushing yards, 756 receiving yards, 16 rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns in 15 games.
Six of those 16 rushing touchdowns, a career high, came on a single day, when Kamara gave the Saints and fantasy players the merriest of gifts on Christmas. Facing the Minnesota Vikings, Kamara went off for 155 rushing yards and six touchdowns, the most seen in an NFL game since Gale Sayers also scored six for the Chicago Bears in 1965.
Kamara could have very easily set a new NFL record as well, but lost a clear scoring opportunity when head coach Sean Payton opted to with Taysom Hill for a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The performance gave the Saints a 52-33 win, and made fans and fantasy players happy enough to donate thousands of dollars to Kamara’s charity. The NFL wasn’t nearly as festive, fining Kamara $5,000 for the Christmas-themed cleats he wore in the game.
Saints still fighting for NFC’s top seed
With Kamara out, the Saints will still be fighting for a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs on Sunday. New Orleans can snag the top seed in the NFC with a win over Carolina as well as a Green Bay Packers loss and a Seattle Seahawks win, per NFL.com.
Latavius Murray will likely see the bulk of carries in Kamara’s absence.
The worst the Saints can finish is 11-5 with the No. 3 seed in the NFC, having already clinched a fourth straight NFC South title.
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