So this is an interesting strategy. The New Orleans Saints inactive list included half of their depth chart at running back for Week 15’s game with the Atlanta Falcons — backups Dwayne Washington and Eno Benjamin were both sidelined, leaving just Alvin Kamara and David Johnson active on Sunday. Washington wasn’t able to practice this week while dealing with an illness, whereas Benjamin was acquired off of waivers and saw just two practices with the team before kickoff.
That suggests a heavy workload for Kamara, right? The Saints haven’t gotten the most out of him this season, stubbornly running him into the teeth of opposing defenses and weirdly cutting down on the number of screen plays in each week’s game plan. Kamara and his coaches talked about the need for more creativity this week (or at least more of what he’s done well in the past), but we’ll see if they seize this opportunity.
But there might be other solutions than just running Kamara until he can’t run anymore. Nominal tight end Taysom Hill has seen more rushing attempts against the Falcons (42 in 11 games) in his career than against any other team, and his usage has also trailed off in recent weeks. This is a chance for him to reassert himself as a playmaker that their stalled-out offense could really use. He’s had success against Atlanta before, posting single-game rushing totals of 83, 81, and 49 yards. He’s also scored 4 touchdown runs on the Falcons defense in past matchups.
Fullback Adam Prentice is also active for this game, so he’s an option, though the Saints rarely ask him to handle the ball — his first rushing attempt this season came in their last game, gaining 2 yards on 3rd-and-1 midway through the third quarter. New Orleans brought up wide receiver Kirk Merritt from their practice squad, too. He’s cross-trained at running back with them and saw some carries in their preseason games.
Still, it feels like Kamara will again see the lion’s share of snaps in the backfield. Hopefully the Saints can do a better job of putting him in position to make a play.
