5 Saints players the Carolina Panthers must keep quiet in Week 2
By Jason Huber
Alvin Kamara- RB
Running back Alvin Kamara has proven to be the closest player in the league to Christian McCaffrey in terms of running and passing ability, and just as teams try to do against them, the Carolina Panthers defense will have to find a way to shut down the New Orleans Saints’ best offensive player.
Kamara has had at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his first four NFL seasons and that shouldn’t change this season as the Saints wide receivers corps is pretty bad. There is also the unhappiness and injury problems surrounding Michael Thomas to consider.
In Week 1, Kamara rushed for 83 yards on 20 carries but only had eight receiving yards on three receptions. Even though New Orleans still managed to dominate the Packers, those are the types of numbers that Carolina will have to hold the Pro Bowler to in pursuit of starting their season with a 2-0 record.
The Panthers’ run defense has been awful the last few years and after a stellar Week 1 performance, they’ll have a big test with Kamara, who represents something much better than they faced against the New York Jets with Tevin Coleman and rookie Michael Carter.
Simply put, limiting Kamara’s influence is the key to success.