Alvin Kamara could play against Chicago but would not be able to appear in training ahead of the game; Saints coach Sean Payton: “A lot of it will be like our decision based on where we think we are with the week, the player, and we have to be smart.”
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Last updated: 07/01/21 8:58 am
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara could return from self-loathing to face Chicago Bears in Sunday’s wild card game
New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara could return in time to face the Chicago Bears in a wild card playoff game on Sunday, thanks to a quirk of the postseason games record.
Kamara tied an NFL record with six touchdowns in victory over Minnesota on Christmas Day before testing positive and missing Carolina’s regular end-of-season.
His period of self-solitude is coming to an end in time for him to play against the Bears, something he would not have done if he had been slated the day before.
As it is, he had to play against Chicago without working all week.
Saints coach Sean Payton said: “Sunday is a game he can play. [any preparation] during the week must be Zoomed. “
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Payton would not promise to play Kamara and instead confirmed that he would see how preparations went up before the game.
“I think it would depend on the player and the situation,” Payton said.
“A lot of it will be like our decision based on where we think we’re with the week, the player, and we have to be smart.”
New Orleans, 12-4 and second seed in the NFC did not miss a blow without Kamara and his running teammates Latavius Murray and Dwayne Washington, full-back Michael Burton, as well as running coach Joel Thomas, who lost the 33 -7 victory against the Panthers while quarantined.
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Ty Montgomery, who is mostly a wide receiver, hurried for 105 yards on 18 carries.
The Saints are hoping to get another offensive key player back in the All-Pro wide receiver, Michael Thomas, who is on the injured asylum list but deserves to be fired this week.
In the Saints ’26-23 preseason win against the host Bears on Nov. 1, Kamara was 163 yards from scrimmage, including a 20-yard run to establish Wil Lutz’s winning field goal.
That game was the second of six consecutive losses by the Bears, who had Nick Foles at quarterback.
The Chicago Bears ’form has improved since Mitchell Trubisky took over at quarterback
Trubisky’s return prompted the Bears ’playoff push
Mitchell Trubisky has recovered from his starting position and the offense has improved since his return after injuring Foles.
In the six games since Trubisky returned to the starting lineup, he has completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,495 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
“I feel like I’ve gotten better in the last few weeks,” Trubisky said.
Since Trubisky’s return, Chicago has averaged 30.2 points per game, even after last year’s 35-15 loss to Green Bay on Sunday ended a four-game climb of at least 30 points.
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Trubisky’s success and offense have coincided with a better running game.
The Bears (8-8) gained an average of 78.2 rush yards before Trubisky returned to the line and have been receiving an average of 144.2 rushing yards since.
The loss to the Packers ended the three-game winning streak in Chicago, but they were still advancing to the playoffs when the Cardinals lost the Rams in Week 17.
Bears coach Matt Nagy said: “Those players, they won it. The last four games of the year, to be where we were after those six [consecutive losses] it wasn’t easy, but they were fighting. And that’s a credit to them, that’s a credit to our coaches. “
New Orleans opened up as a 9.5-point pick, making them the favorites in all six games on a wild card weekend.
“(Table 8-8) isn’t perfect,” Nagy said. “We have a lot of things to do to get better, but we can’t worry about that. Now all we have to do is worry about everything we can to be like the best team we can on Sunday against the Saints. “