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The New Orleans Saints are about to get Alvin Kamara back for a game they badly need. According to Adam Schefter, Saints running back Kamara, who is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, is expected to play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 12 NFC South matchup, per multiple reports. Team doctors will still have the final say, but all signs are pointing toward Kamara suiting up.
If he’s active, it is hard to overstate how big that is for a 2-8 Saints team still trying to crawl back into relevance. Kamara has not looked like peak 2017-20 Kamara this season, but he remains the engine of this offense, with 128 carries for 460 rushing yards and one touchdown, plus 31 catches for 182 receiving yards through 10 games, per ESPN’s stats page. That 3.6 yards-per-carry average is modest, yet the threat of Kamara still shapes how defenses play New Orleans.
The Saints have lived on thin margins all year. They sit at the bottom of the NFC South, behind the 6-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6-5 Carolina Panthers, and 3-7 Falcons.
For Atlanta, the assignment is straightforward on paper, tackle Alvin Kamara and get off the field. The Falcons have dropped five straight and have struggled to finish games, now turning to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to steady things while Bijan Robinson handles the heavy lifting on the ground.
New Orleans will counter with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and a game plan that certainly leans on Kamara early to take pressure off the passing game. Even if he is not 100%, his presence alone changes the math for a Falcons defense that has given up chunk plays late in games all season.
If the ankle cooperates, Alvin Kamara’s return might be the one thing that keeps the Saints’ season from feeling over before December. A healthy Kamara run might be the loudest cheer the Superdome has heard this season.
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