New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara’s late season lack of production has an explanation

The New Orleans Saints saw the production of running back Alvin Kamara limited at the tail end of the 2019 season, and now we officially know why.

At the end of 2019, superstar running back Alvin Kamara didn’t play like the Pro Bowl running back New Orleans Saints’ fans have grown used to. He just didn’t seem to have that dynamic explosiveness that originally helped him become a fan favorite.

Kamara played in 14 games and started just nine. He didn’t manage to get the opening nod in a few games later in the season as backup Latavius Murray was thriving with the additional touches.

Although it wasn’t too well known at the time, Kamara was battling through injuries. Let’s re-phrase. We knew that Alvin Kamara sustained both ankle injuries and knee injuries at times in 2019 and that both affected his speed and agility greatly.

He missed two games due to those injuries.

But, even when healthy, Kamara looked like a ghost of his former self, and fans who were wondering why finally have their closer as Kamara recently tweeted that he’s just now back to 100%.

Kamara totaled 797 rushing yards and 1,330 all-purpose yards. His touchdowns were a far more concerning matter though as he was held without a touchdown from Week 4 to Week 15. That was an issue, but he finally broke through with two in each of the last two weeks.

These numerous are significantly down from last season. While he did have highlight performances and even reach the Pro Bowl, Kamara, who was in just his third season in the league, was far from his peak.

Entering a contract season, Kamara will have something to play for. Like Marshon Lattimore, Kamara was drafted in 2017. That said, he’ll have quite a bit too worry about if these lacking performances continue into the new season.

However, I wouldn’t expect them to.