Saints run game finally showed some signs of life at the exact right time

New Orleans Saints fans were rightfully a bit worried about the state of the run game this preseason after Alvin Kamara failed to show up last week during training camp. Behind Kamara on the depth chart were Jamaal Williams, Jordan Mims, and James Robinson, two of whom appeared to be in the washed-up stage of their career.

Well, against the 49ers in the second preseason game of the year, the run game showed signs of life. Of course, it's only preseason and not the real deal but it's better to see positives from the unit than for them to do absolutely nothing in these games.

Mims led the way in rushing yards for the team, collecting 37 yards on 10 carries but Williams probably had the better day, as he averaged 6.4 yards per carry (Mims had 3.7 yards per carry). Williams finished with five carries for 32 yards and Robinson had five carries for 27 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

The performances from these three guys definitely alleviated some of the concerns that Saints fans had been having regarding the run game.

Saints rushing attack didn't look as hopeless as expected in preseason Week 2

Obviously it'll be great to have Kamara back for the regular season whenever he decides to rejoin the team but it was good to see this group succeed without him on the sidelines. The Saints were hoping to get more out of Williams a season ago after he put together such an incredible year in Detroit the previous season but he was a bit of a disappointment.

Mims was on the Saints practice squad throughout the 2023 season and appeared in two games for them without getting a single carry. Kamara and Williams will likely be the first two running backs getting the carries but Mims has been fighting for a chance to prove he deserves to stick around.

While this was only a preseason game and we know the results of these games don't matter in the grand scheme of things, it was good to see something from this group. Hopefully they continue this trend in the season opener against the Panthers in two weeks.