Tag: rushing yards

Alvin Kamara is putting the team on his back in a unique 2024 season

Alvin Kamara is the only player in the NFL this season leading his team in both rushing yards and receiving yards. His extension only looks better by the day:

The NFL in recent years has been heavily driven by the wide receiver market, with the top two non-quarterback salaries for the 2024 season being Justin Jefferson at $35 million and CeeDee Lamb at $34 million. This is because the receiving and passing game has become more and more utilized in recent years, and receivers have become even more valuable at the top end.

However, some running backs stand out among the crowd as valuable in both the ground game and the receiving game, most notably Christian McCaffrey in recent years, as well as New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara.

Kamara had a tough few years with the injuries he had piling up, and an extension seemed far away at best. Yet, in 2024, he has shown exactly why he deserved and got one. He is the only player in the NFL entering Week 15 to lead his team in both rushing and receiving yards in 2024, with 485 receiving yards and 938 rushing yards.

He is first in the league in receiving yards at the RB position as well, showing how premier this season has been for him. All of that is great, but he has also done it with 0 fumbles, one of only three running backs in the top-10 for rushing yards to accomplish that this year, alongside Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.

With Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Bub Means all going down from the receiver room, someone needed to step up and handle the receiving part of the offense, and Kamara has done so without a doubt.

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Alvin Kamara set to hit an important new milestone in Week 14

Alvin Kamara is only 39 yards away from setting a new single-season high in rushing yards. He’s on pace for his first 1,000-yard season, too:

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is on pace to set a new single-season high in rushing yards against the New York Giants this Sunday. He set his previous personal-best back in 2020, when Kamara rushed for 932 yards. That was by far the best season of his career. He balanced a heavy workload and rare explosiveness, while also delivering the most touchdowns in the league (16).

The Saints haven’t been able to surround Kamara with the best pieces this season due to injuries. The offseason addition of Klint Kubiak, however, has clearly paid off. Kubiak’s new run scheme was one of the biggest selling points of the hire.

Kamara has produced despite injuries to blockers Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick. Taysom Hill was the best secondary running threat. He’s missed time throughout the season and Jamaal Williams hasn’t been much help. The offense has ran through and leaned on Kamara all season, and he’s more than delivered. He’s up to 894 rushing yards through just 12 games.

With another 39 yards, Kamara will have his highest rushing total of his career and is likely going to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the first time ever. He may achieve that in Week 14, as well, with a strong performance. He’s averaging 74.5 yards per game on the ground this season and just put up 112 on the Los Angeles Rams, the fifth-ranked defense in rushing yards allowed per game (144.2). The fourth-ranked squad is Kamara’s next opponent, the New York Giants, who have averaged 145.8 yards per game. That’s looking like a favorable matchup.

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Sorry, Baltimore: Steelers know exactly how to stop Derrick Henry

Pittsburgh has consistently contained Derrick Henry, with wins over him in 2017, 2020, and 2023—a testament to their resilience.

King Henry may rule in Baltimore, but he has bowed several times to the impressive display of determination and resilience that the Steel City represents. The Pittsburgh Steelers have faced a Derrick Henry-led offense three times during his career—in 2017, 2020, and 2023—and emerged victorious each time.

In 2017, the Pittsburgh defense limited Henry to 32 rushing yards on 7 attempts. In 2020—a season many consider one of the greatest by a running back, with Henry averaging 5.4 yards per carry on 378 attempts, rushing for 2,027 yards, and scoring 17 rushing touchdowns—the Steelers once again tamed the king in their Week 7 matchup with the Titans, holding him to just 75 yards on 20 attempts. When the teams met again in 2023, Pittsburgh held Henry to the same 75 rushing yards.

The Baltimore-based king is one of the greatest running backs of his era, but his lack of production speaks volumes about HC Mike Tomlin’s ability to scheme effectively and prevent him from taking over the game. While Henry is an elite player in the NFL, make no mistake: just like the Baltimore Ravens over the past few seasons, Pittsburgh will have his number once again in Week 11.

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WATCH: Alvin Kamara breaks the all-time Saints rushing yards record

WATCH: New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara breaks the all-time franchise record for rushing yards

The New Orleans Saints have a new franchise leader in all-time rushing yards, and it is Alvin Kamara. Kamara came into the Week 10 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons only 12 yards away from taking the record away from his former teammate Mark Ingram, and on the first two rushes of the game was able to accrue over that amount to take it for himself.

Kamara has previously set the franchise record for rushing touchdowns and attempts, and is nearing the top five in receiving yards for the Saints where he is only 205 yards behind Jimmy Graham for sixth place. Now he accrues one more record for his long-list of achievements, and will continue to build the gap in the coming years.

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Alvin Kamara becomes all-time leading rusher in Saints history

It’s official. Alvin Kamara is now the all-time leading rusher in New Orleans Saints history after a strong start against the Atlanta Falcons:


New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara entered Week 10 trailing 11 yards behind former teammate Mark Ingram for the franchise lead in rushing yards all-time. After a strong start start by Kamara on runs of 11 and 7 yards, he was able to set the record at only 29 years old. He had previously passed Ingram in rushing touchdowns back in December of 2023 and entered the game seventh in franchise receiving yards behind Jimmy Graham.

Kamara’s recent extension will give him even more time to pull away in the lead of the records he already holds, and also give him the opportunity to chase any he may not already have. With his five Pro Bowl appearances to date, he may also be on pace for a sixth in 2024 as he has been exceptional for the Saints so far, being one of the few productive players this year for New Orleans.

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Alvin Kamara credits former teammate who chose to ‘show me the way’

As Alvin Kamara prepares to pass Mark Ingram II as the Saints’ all-time leading rusher, he reflected on how much Ingram means to him:

Barring anything unforeseen, Alvin Kamara will be the New Orleans Saints all-time leading rusher by Monday morning.

The team won’t have to try hard to get him the record. If the past two weeks are any indication, Kamara will cross that threshold on his first carry. He opened the last two games with runs of 20 or more yards.

Kamara’s only 12 yards away from toppling Mark Ingram II’s record set in 2021. He said his former teammate told him after last week’s game, “Good thing you can break it at home.” It’s something Ingram didn’t have the chance to do. He finished a home game against the Falcons just short of the record. Kamara will break the record against the Falcons at home.

The duo were teammates in 2017 and 2018 then again in 2021 and 2022. Their joint interviews were some of that era’s highlights.

Their friendship remains strong even after Ingram’s retirement, and Kamara spoke about how much Ingram meant to his career.

Kamara gives a lot of credit to Ingram for helping him become the player and professional he is today. “That was my example. Thank God he was in my room. I had an example right there, right next to me to guide me and show me the way.”

Fast forward seven years and Kamara has the opportunity to take down Ingram’s example:  “It’s definitely a full circle moment because I came in, young buck. He gave everything to me, poured into me.”

The two leading rushers in Saints history shared the backfield for four seasons. That’s the definition of passing the torch.

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Alvin Kamara moved up to second among Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara surpassed Deuce McAllister in Week 3 to rank second among the Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders:

The New Orleans Saints’ 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 somewhat overshadowed some of the positive things that had happened, including Tyrann Mathieu tying for second place with his 35th interception among active players. It’s tough to say much was positive for the offense when they only scored a dozen points, but some individuals did pass important milestones.

One of them was Alvin Kamara surpassing Deuce McAllister in career rushing yards with the Saints, moving him up to second behind his old teammate Mark Ingram II. Kamara entered the game trailing McAllister  by 69 rushing yards, and with 87 yards on the ground, he ended the day 18 yards ahead.

Even more impressively, Kamara did this on 53 fewer rushing attempts than McAllister. He has a decent margin remaining to get up to first place, however, with Ingram sitting at exactly 6,500 rushing yards for New Orleans, while Kamara checks in at 6,114. For Kamara to reach Ingram on the same amount of rushing attempts, he would need to average around 5.1 yards per carry on his next 75 attempts, which is pretty unreasonable given his hot start to the season. With only 386 more yards to go, he could feasibly find his way to the top of the list this season however, which is a fun stat to keep an eye on throughout the year.

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Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is NFL’s fifth-leading rusher

#Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco ranks fifth in the NFL for rushing yards after a huge performance against the #Packers in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense has taken a step back in 2023 in terms of passing production, but as the team seeks to assemble a more well-rounded attack, running back Isiah Pacheco is helping to reinvent head coach Andy Reid’s strategies.

After putting together a 110-yard rushing performance against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13, Pacheco is the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher.

This remarkable achievement is even more impressive than it may seem on the surface, given Pacheco’s relatively limited role in Reid’s offense. The veteran playcaller has seemed hesitant to stick with the ground game at times in 2023, but after Pacheco’s exceptional performance against Green Bay, things may start to change.

Patrick Mahomes hasn’t quite looked like himself lately, and Kansas City needs a dynamic threat to turn to when the passing game can’t produce. Expect Pacheco to have his number called more often as Reid seeks to fix the Chiefs’ offensive woes before January’s AFC playoffs.

Taysom Hill’s rushing success is just as effective as the ‘Tush Push’

Alvin Kamara is right. He says Taysom Hill running ability is equal to the “Tush Push,” and we’ve got the numbers to prove it:

Alvin Kamara is right. The New Orleans Saints running back gave his teammate Taysom Hill a big shoutout after their Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts, crediting Hill for his rushing ability — coming off a game in which Hill gained 63 yards off of just 9 carries, with Kamara not far behind (59 yards on 17 attempts).

In his postgame press conference, Kamara said that Hill “is the equivalent of the ‘Tush Push’. You know what’s coming and you can’t stop it.”

Also called the “Brotherly Shove” for its popularity with the Philadelphia Eagles offense in recent years, the play is a modified quarterback sneak that allows teammates to push the quarterback forward while blockers open up space ahead of them. Going into Week 9, the Eagles have converted a first down on 17 of their 21 attempts with this play (81.%). The rest of the NFL has a success rate of 72.7%, going 40-for-55.

And that brings us to Hill, whose success rate as a runner clocks in at 71.1%. Like other quarterbacks around the league who can make plays with their legs, he forces the defense to guard all eleven players, often forcing a moment’s hesitation that can make a big difference. Defenders still misjudge Hill’s speed in the open field and he’s one of the Saints’ best big-play threats as a rusher. His 20-yard touchdown run against the Colts was the longest gain on the ground for the Saints this season. They call his number for good reason.

Now, we should acknowledge something before the nerds points it out for us: these are two different success rates. The “Tush Push” numbers are only considering first down conversions. For Hill, we’re using the formula from Pro Football Reference, which considers what percentage of the yards needed were gained per carry. It’s a little more complicated, but it’s also more comprehensive, and it still gets to Kamara’s point.

But if we only want to look at Hill’s first down conversions as a runner, here they are: he’s moved the sticks 15 times on 38 attempts this season (39.5%), which trails a real “Tush Push” success rate. That’s still a solid number. He’s converted the eighth-most rushing first downs among quarterbacks this season despite his limited role; he isn’t a starter like Jalen Hurts (35 first downs), Lamar Jackson (27), Russell Wilson (18), or other league leaders. As Kamara said, teams know where the ball is going when Hill has it in his hands. And they’re still failing to stop him.

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Taysom Hill currently ranks 30th in rushing yards, ahead of at least one NFL team

Taysom Hill currently ranks 30th in rushing yards among NFL players, and 31 on his own among the league’s 32 teams:

No football player makes NFL analysts and fantasy football nerds more upset for being good at his job than Taysom Hill. The New Orleans Saints playmaker does it all — he’s taken snaps at quarterback, fullback, tight end, slot receiver, and wide receiver this season while running with the punt teams and the kick returns unit. But his best work has come as a runner. Opposing defenders don’t want to try and stop him in the open field.

Hill’s 79 rushing yards rank 30th among the 171 NFL players to log at least one carry this season, at least through the first two weeks. That’s ahead of household names like Tyjae Spears (76), Najee Harris (74), Jalen Hurts (72), Josh Jacobs (46), Deebo Samuel (46), Josh Allen (43), and Dalvin Cook (40), to name just a few.

And he’s even outpaced some teams. Well, at least one team: the Minnesota Vikings, who have gained just 69 rushing yards as a team through their first two games. Hill could keep climbing. If he plays well against the Green Bay Packers this week, he just might rank 30th or 29th among the league’s 32 teams, for at least a few hours on Sunday.

The next-worst rushing teams behind Minnesota are the Pittsburgh Steelers (96) and Las Vegas Raiders (116), who play each other on Sunday night. Hill and the Saints will kick off from Green Bay at Noon CT; if you’re curious, the Vikings will be able to work on their deficit in the same time slot while hosting the Los Angeles Chargers.

What about those matchups? Hill is going to be running against a Packers run defense which ranks third-worst in the NFL (allowing 166.5 rushing yards per game), while the Vikings will see a league-average Chargers team (who allow 105.5 yards per game on the ground, which is 18th). And the Steelers rank worst in the league (193.0) with the Raiders clocking in at sixth-worst (138.5).

The Saints could really use a stronger presence on the ground, and Hill just might be their best bet to get things going. With Jamaal Williams out with an injury and Kendre Miller returning from one, he’s a good pick to lead the team in rushing yards again this week, working against a vulnerable Packers defense.

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