Alvin Kamara Makes History But Saints Fall Short Against Eagles

Despite Sunday's loss, Alvin Kamara further etched his name into franchise history and now eyes up an even more prestigious mark

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) rushes past Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

There weren't many positives to take away from the New Orleans Saints 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Saints dropped to 2-1 with the loss but are still tied for the NFC South lead with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New Orleans scored 91 points and averaged over 400 yards of total offense in their first two games. Against Philadelphia, they were held to a paltry 219 total yards, 12 first downs, and scored only one touchdown.

It was a miserable day for the Saints offensively, who also squandered several potential opportunities set up by the defense. New Orleans forced two Philadelphia turnovers, blocked a punt, and forced two turnovers on downs.

Statistically, there were really only two decent bright spots for the Saints on Sunday. One was WR Chris Olave, who caught all of his six targets for 86 yards and a touchdown where he showed incredible lower body control. The other was a player that the New Orleans offense revolves around weekly.

Alvin Kamara

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs through a hole against the Philadelphia Eagles / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Kamara rushed for 87 yards on 26 carries against the Eagles. His 3.4 per carry isn't impressive, but he was running against defensive fronts with 7 and 8 players at the line of scrimmage on nearly every snap. He was responsible for all but two of the Saints' rushing yards on the day.

Additionally, Kamara caught all three of his targets in the passing game for 40 yards. Why he wasn't used more in that capacity against an Eagles defense that didn't have anyone capable of covering him is a conversation for another day. However, his 127 scrimmage yards was his 52nd regular season outing with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.

Kamara's 87 rushing yards also moved him up on another prestigious franchise list. Those yards moved him past Deuce McAllister into second place on the Saints' all-time career rushing yards list. Kamara now has 6,114 rushing yards in his eighth season with New Orleans, with McAllister sitting in third place with 6.096 in eight terrific seasons with the Saints.

Alvin Kamara already sits atop the franchise's all-time career list iin several categories.

• Rushing Touchdowns - 58
• Total Touchdowns - 83
• Scrimmage Yards - 10,465
• Receptions (RB) - 515
• Receiving Yards (RB) - 4,351
• Receiving Scores (RB) - 24

Nov 18, 2018; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) celebrates a touchdown catch with Mark Ingram (22) / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

Now in Kamara's sites is the team's all-time career record for rushing yards. Friend, former teammate, and mentor Mark Ingram II holds that mark with 6,500 rushing yards in 10 seasons with the Saints.

With 387 rushing yards, Kamara will move past Ingram to solely hold yet another record in franchise history. In three games so far this season, he's averaged 95 yards on the ground. With a slight increase of that pace, Kamara could have a chance to pass Ingram when the Saints host the Denver Broncos on a Thursday night in Week 7.

Sean Payton is the head coach of the Broncos, with Pete Carmichael as one of that team's primary offensive assistants. Payton coached New Orleans from 2006 to 2021 and was the one who selected Kamara with a third-round choice in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. Carmichael was Kamara's offensive coordinator in New Orleans every year of his career until this season.

The Saints will play at the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday. It might be back to the drawing board for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and his unit this week after a disappointing outing. One player whose name is sure to be heavily involved in the game plan will be Kamara.