Kamara, Saints inch closer to division title
SAINTS 31, PANTHERS 21
NEW ORLEANS —Saints quarterback Drew Brees isn’t ready to ask rookie running back Alvin Kamara to stop trying to hurdle defenders. He has but one request. “Please land on your feet and not your head,” Brees said.
Kamara landed head-first when he tried to soar over a Carolina tackler Sunday — but only after a game-sealing 22yard gain on 3rd-and-10 in the final minutes. He wound up with a cut on his lip, which seemed like a small price to pay for his latest virtuoso performance as a runner and receiver.
Kamara finished with 126 yards (60 rushing and 66 receiving) and scored two tackleshedding touchdowns to help the Saints beat the Panthers 31-21 and take command of the NFC South.
With four games to play, Kamara already has had a rookie campaign like few others in NFL history. He is one of only three rookies to eclipse 600 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor and Billy Sims. His 11 TDs put him in range of surpassing the Saints rookie record of 13 set by George Rogers in 1981.
“It’s been fun,” Kamara said of his first year as a pro. “You want it to keep going. You don’t want it to end.”
If Kamara keeps it up, the Saints’ season will extend into the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Saints (9-3) bounced back from a loss to the Rams in Los Angeles that ended their eight-game winning streak and have a one-game lead over the Panthers (8-4) atop the division.
“It was obviously a significant win,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said. “We’re playing good football. It’s a young team so I think we are learning each week.”
The Panthers entered the game with the second-ranked defense in the NFL, but now have been gashed by Drew Brees and Co. in both meetings this season. The Saints had 362 total yards in a 34-13 Week 3 victory in Carolina and finished with 400 yards against the Panthers in the rematch in the Superdome.
“It was extremely frustrating. We couldn’t stop the bleeding, couldn’t stop the momentum,” Panthers safety Mike Adams said. “We didn’t play to our standard.”
Panthers coach Ron Rivera added, “Right now they are real difficult to defend.”