New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara will officially not play this afternoon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kamara will miss his third straight game with a groin injury suffered in Week 15 against Washington.
The 5-11 Saints will finish their year on the road at the 9-7 Buccaneers. They'll do so without Kamara, QB Derek Carr, WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill, C Erik McCoy, and LG Lucas Patrick.
For Kamara, it's an extra bitter disappointment to end the season. New Orleans has had to deal with most of the listed names from above out most of the year. However, Kamara often remained their only consistent source of offense throughout the campaign.
Now in their 58th year of existence, the Saints have had only 13 seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Only seven different players in franchise history have accomplished the feat. Kamara was tantalizingly close to adding his name to that list.
Kamara is already the all-time Saints career leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, rushing attempts, and every possible career receiving record for a running back. Down the stretch of the year, he was poised to add his name to another chapter of the team's record books.
In his eighth NFL season, all with New Orleans, Kamara has been terrific but never had 1,000 yards rushing. That was about to change in 2024, as one of the only bright spots to otherwise the darkest New Orleans year in recent memory.
Starting all of the Saints first 14 games, Kamara was often the team's best and sometimes only offensive threat. Despite the excess defensive attention, he was still putting together perhaps his most impressive statistical season under the circumstances.
Going into the Week 15 game against Washington, Kamara needed only 62 rushing yards over the final four games to eclipse 1,000 for the first time. He had 12 yards on the ground through the first three quarters against Washington, but scored a key touchdown on an acrobatic reception midway through the third quarter.
Unfortunately, Kamara injured his groin on the scoring catch. It turned out to be his final play of the year. The injury has kept him sidelined since, with today's game being his fourth straight missed.
Alvin Kamara finished the 2024-25 season with a team-high and career-best 950 yards on the ground. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry, his highest since 2020. His average of 67.9 rushing yards per game were the second highest of his career, surpassed only by a 69.1 per game on the ground in 2021.
Kamara also had 68 receptions for 543 yards. Both marks also led New Orleans, a doubly impressive feat considering the fact that he missed four contests. While the year ended in disappointing fashion, let's not forget that Kamara had a terrific year under adverse circumstances for a Saints team that otherwise struggled in every imaginable way.
