Category: Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara has already matched his 2022 season-long red zone production

Alvin Kamara has already matched his 2022 season-long red zone production. The Saints are doing a better job utilizing one of their best players:

It’s taken longer than they may have liked, but the New Orleans Saints offense has made some improvements over last year’s performance. And one of the big steps forward is annoyingly simple: getting the ball to their best players in scoring position.

Alvin Kamara has already matched his production in the red zone from the 2022 season after just five games in 2023. Last year when the offense got inside the opposing 20-yard line, Kamara totaled 20 rushing attempts and 7 receptions (on 11 targets) for a combined 79 yards, scoring three touchdowns. That’s over the course of 15 games.

This year, through just five games after returning from suspension, Kamara has already locked 18 carries and 6 catches (6 targets) for 80 yards from scrimmage — again scoring three touchdowns. Derek Carr is throwing a better football to Kamara than he got from Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston last year, and Pete Carmichael is clearly making a greater effort to keep Kamara involved when the goal line is in sight.

Maintaining that usage will be vital. Kamara is one of the league’s greatest scoring threats; his 75 career touchdowns scored trail just Travis Kelce (76), Ezekiel Elliott (82), Tyreek Hill (84), Derrick Henry (85), Jimmy Graham (86), Mike Evans (87), and Davante Adams (90) for the eighth-most among active players. Kamara and Kelce are tied for the most successful two-point conversions (5) among their peers, too.

So while we shouldn’t hope for many more games with 12 and 13 receptions from Kamara this season (both losses), the Saints absolutely should keep calling his number when they’re in the red zone. Kamara is a dangerous matchup for any linebacker when the field shrinks (and the defense’s margin for error with it) and he’s able to attack teams as a runner or receiver and use his unique athleticism to his advantage. There isn’t anyone who maintains their balance through contact better than Kamara in the NFL, and that’s a cheat code the Saints should continue to exploit.

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Alvin Kamara is the first player in Saints history to gain 10,000 all-purpose yards

Add this to Alvin Kamara’s resume. He is the first player in Saints history to gain 10,000 all-purpose yards:

Now that’s impressive. Everyone knows Alvin Kamara is one of the most-accomplished players to ever wear a New Orleans Saints uniform — his numerous records for touchdowns scored and plays made are proof of it. But the star running back surpassed an important milestone in Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Kamara is the first player in franchise history to gain more than 10,000 all-purpose yards. He went into Week 8 with 9,990 career all-purpose yards between his efforts on offense and special teams, which had already surpassed the great Marques Colston (9,766) as well as fan-favorites like Deuce McAllister (8,932) and Eric Martin (8,730) in the franchise record books. But Kamara’s entering a new tier now and leaving his mark on the league. After putting 110 all-purpose yards on the Colts, Kamara’s career total is up to 10,100 on the dot.

That ranks 13th among active players around the NFL and 116th all-time; Kamara’s rise bumps his predecessor Reggie Bush (who was tied with Terry Metcalf at 10,001 career all-purpose yards) down behind him. And he can keep climbing higher. Kamara has a lot of football left in him as we saw on Sunday. Who can say just where he’ll end up?

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Alvin Kamara tied up Mark Ingram II’s record for Saints touchdown runs

Another week, another record. Alvin Kamara tied up Mark Ingram II’s record for Saints touchdown runs after scoring twice against the Colts:

Another week, another record for Alvin Kamara. Kamara scored a pair of touchdown runs in Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts to put his career total at 51 scoring runs, which is impressive by itself. But that also ties the record his old teammate Mark Ingram II set for rushing touchdowns in a Saints uniform. One more will break it.

Kamara has already broken his tie with Ingram for the most two-point conversions in Saints franchise history, having also taken the record for the most touchdowns scored for New Orleans from Marques Colston. He still has a lot of football left to play before he’ll call it a career, but Kamara is already one of the most-accomplished players to ever suit up in black and gold.

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WATCH: Alvin Kamara scores his second TD of the day after big run

WATCH: Alvin Kamara scores his second TD of the day after big run

Alvin Kamara is getting it done in different ways for the Saints offense, finding the endzone for the second time today against the Indianapolis Colts. After a receiving touchdown earlier, Kamara took the ball 16 yards on the ground for this score.

After failing so often in the red zone this season, the Saints have found some rhythm on offense. This by far has been the best that the offense has looked on pretty much every level this season. A much needed confidence boost for the group led by Derek Carr.

This is also the first multi-touchdown game for Kamara since Week 8 last year against the Las Vegas Raiders. Kamara is up to three touchdowns in five games on the season after missing the first three games to suspension.

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WATCH: Alvin Kamara carves up the Colts defense for a critical TD

WATCH: Alvin Kamara makes his way through the Colts defense for a critical TD

The New Orleans Saints score an early touchdown as they continue to try and find a rhythm on offense. Getting the ball to Alvin Kamara seems to never be a bad idea as he willed his way into the endzone for some big yards after the catch. Carr found Kamara open in the middle of the field and the rest was history.

It was the earliest the Saints offense has found the endzone since Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers. It is Kamara’s second touchdown of the season and first receiving touchdown. It’s just Carr’s seventh passing touchdown of the season. They will try to keep the momentum going and they will need it with the defense facing a strong Colts offense.

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Alvin Kamara broke another Saints franchise record with his latest two-point conversion

Alvin Kamara broke another Saints franchise record with his latest two-point conversion. He’s also now tied with Travis Kelce for the league lead among active players:

Look, times are tough for the New Orleans Saints these days, and we’ll take our doses of positivity when we can. So it’s worth celebrating Alvin Kamara’s latest accomplishment — not long after the dynamic running back broke Marques Colston’s record for touchdowns scored in a Saints uniform, Kamara laid claim to another record: the team’s high-water mark for two-point conversions.

Kamara went into last week’s game with the Jacksonville Jaguars locked in a tie with his old teammate Mark Ingram II, both players having successfully converted four two-point tries in their Saints careers. But Kamara caught a quick pass from Derek Carr to walk into the end zone untouched for his fifth two-point conversion. That play tied the game after a frightful first three quarters, though the Saints ultimately weren’t able to pull off the win.

Still, it’s just the latest achievement in Kamara’s impressive NFL career. Hopefully he and Carr can link up with more scoring plays like this one to help the Saints offense get back on track, though you’d like to see Carr taking greater advantage of the talent stacked up for him at wide receiver in most situations.

As for Kamara: his five successful two-point conversions are now tied with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for the most among active players, matching the career totals of Pro Football Hall of Famers Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, and Edgerrin James in a ten-way tie for sixth-place in NFL history. Four players are ahead of them in a tie for second place with six two-point scores (including Ingram, who did it twice in 2019 with the Baltimore Ravens), but everyone is trailing the legendary Marshall Faulk, whose seven two-point conversions are the most in NFL history. Kamara has a real shot at going the distance and surpassing even Faulk someday — strengthening his own Hall of Fame candidacy.

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Saints release highlight reel with all 73 of Alvin Kamara’s record-breaking touchdowns

Saints release highlight reel with all 73 of Alvin Kamara’s record-breaking touchdowns

Here’s something nice to watch with your morning cup of coffee. The New Orleans Saints shared a highlight reel compiling all of Alvin Kamara’s record-breaking 73 touchdowns, which you can find in the video embedded below (you can also find it here on YouTube for a full-screen experience).

No. 41 has done it all. Kamara has hit the end zone as a runner (50 times), as a receiver (22 times), and even as a kick returner (once), all of which are chronicled in the ten-minute video. Shouts out to the Saints video department for giving the people what they wanted. Tune in for yourself and count along:

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Alvin Kamara was taking notes during the Saints’ big Week 5 win

Alvin Kamara was taking notes during the Saints’ big Week 5 win, remembering every dropped pass and almost-sack. He’s got high standards:

Drew Brees and Sean Payton always talked about Alvin Kamara as one of the most intelligent football players they had been around, and it’s easy to see why when the New Orleans Saints star running back breaks down a game like this. Kamara took the initiative to hold himself and his teammates accountable after their 34-0 walloping of the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Kamara was taking notes during the game, keeping track of every dropped pass and almost-sack. He’s determined to maintain high standards that made the Saints one of the NFL’s winningest teams to start his career.

“I just want to address, because I was thinking about it, Tyrann Mathieu owes me a pick,” Kamara recalled. “I think Cam (Jordan) owes me like a sack or two. Mike (Thomas) owes me a catch so I’m putting Mike and Derek (Carr) in the same bracket. I don’t know what it was, the throw or the catch, but Mike owes me a catch. Chris (Olave) owes me a catch because I’ve seen him make those catches before on the sideline. What else? I’m just going to blame someone else just because, D.A., just because.”

But it wasn’t just the negatives he was keeping track of. Kamara shared how he was speaking with Carr, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, passing game coordinator Ronald Curry and running backs coach Joel Thomas during the game, adding his input to different situations and pointing out play calls that worked well to his teammates’ strengths. The results speak for themselves with 34 unanswered points on the afternoon.

Kamara added that having coaches receptive to that kind of feedback from players helps everyone by fostering a collaborative approach. It develops a comfort level that helps everyone feel like they’re involved in the offense, and he says this win was a good example of what that cohesiveness can accomplish.

It wasn’t all perfect. Kamara is aware of the penalties, too, and he’s not going to let his teammates with dirty hands get off scot-free: “We still had some penalties. Foster (Moreau) owes me one. (Cesar Ruiz) owes me one, (Rashid) Shaheed owes me one. I’m just recalling everything that hindered us, kept the score from going any higher.”

But we’re focusing on the positives, and Kamara saw a lot to like from the team in this game. They played a style of complimentary football that we haven’t seen often enough in recent years with an opportunistic defense, a tight special teams unit, and an offense that picked up first downs and ended drives with touchdowns. Having leaders like Kamara taking charge like this can help them go far.

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WATCH: Marques Colston responds to Alvin Kamara breaking his franchise scoring record

WATCH: Marques Colston responds to Alvin Kamara breaking his franchise scoring record

Now this is cool. There weren’t many players more beloved by fans than Marques Colston during his time with the New Orleans Saints, with the “Quiet Storm” rising from an afterthought as a late-round draft pick to become the team’s record-holder for touchdowns scored (72).

But his record fell on Sunday with star running back Alvin Kamara rumbling into the end zone for his 73rd career score. And though Colston was often slow to speak on his own accomplishments as a player, he was quick to praise Kamara’s achievement on Sunday.

Colston responded to Kamara’s historic play in a video shared by the Saints on social media, “Hey what’s up Alvin, just want to say congratulations on your new touchdown record. As a fan of the game I love everything about your game, love everything you bring to the field and to the organization. Just truly excited for you because I know you’re just getting started. I can’t wait to see how much higher you push the bar. Congrats again.”

It’s really cool to see two great players from different eras of Saints football interact like this. Colston may not be No. 1 in the record books anymore, but fans are still going to look back on his career fondly for a very long time.

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Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas step up as leaders amid Saints struggles

Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas have stepped up as leaders amid the Saints’ struggles:

The Saints are in the midst of a two game losing streak. After failing to score a touchdown for the first time this year versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tension and concern around the offense rose. In the face of this tension, two players stepped up as leaders: Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas. Kamara did it more publicly than Thomas, but the result is the same.

Kamara’s frustrations were caught on camera directly after the game where he plainly stated changes were needed. In the following days, Kamara sat down with NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill for a one-on-one interview. He again vented his frustrations, and many Saints fans saw this as a player sharing their same frustration. There was leadership within the anger about the offense as well. 

The authenticity. The passion. The vulnerability. For seven minutes, Alvin Kamara candidly spoke on the state of the offense. Most importantly, he took accountability and was the spokesperson for the whole offensive side of the ball. Derek Carr may be the quarterback, but Kamara is the face of the offense. He also spoke on how told Chris Olave there was another way for Olave to deal with frustration during the game. That’s a direct line of leadership to the young player.

Michael Thomas had a more private display of leadership. After the game, he gave an impassioned speech about the New Orleans Saints culture. Thomas was heard saying, “That’s not our standard. Don’t get used to losing. That’s not our culture. That’s not what we do here.” That’s especially true for Thomas. He wasn’t around for the last two seasons. He’s made the playoffs nearly every season he’s played. That’s what he knows. 

While Alvin took to the media to speak for the struggles of the offense, Thomas spoke directly to the players in private. Kamara is certainly speaking in the locker room as much, if not more than, he speaks to the media. Something needed to change and the two most-tenured players on the offense spoke up to spur the change. Hopefully it makes a difference.

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