The New Orleans Saints will be without their biggest offensive star in a crucial NFC South matchup, as running back Alvin Kamara has been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 14 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
December 5’s official injury report lists Kamara with knee and ankle injuries and shows him as a non-participant in practice all week before assigning the “out” designation. He’s dealing with an MCL sprain suffered in a Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and this will now be his second straight missed game after also sitting out the Week 13 defeat to the Miami Dolphins.
It’s a major blow for a Saints team that comes into Tampa at 2-10 and already clinging to faint spoiler hopes in the NFC South race, with the Buccaneers sitting at 7-5 heading into Sunday’s showdown at Raymond James Stadium.
Kamara has appeared in 11 games this season, logging 131 carries for 471 rushing yards and one touchdown, plus 33 receptions for 186 yards. Even in a down year by his standards, he remains the centerpiece of New Orleans’ offense and the franchise’s all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.
What Kamara’s Absence Means for the Saints Offense
With Kamara sidelined, rookie running back Devin Neal is expected to shoulder the load again after leading the backfield in Week 13. In the loss to Miami, Neal handled 17 touches and turned them into 69 total yards, playing more than 80% of the offensive snaps.
The problem is that the ground game was already struggling even with Kamara. Against the Dolphins, the Saints managed just 81 rushing yards as a team while allowing 164 on the other side, and Neal was held to roughly 3 yards per carry. Now they’ll try to run the ball on the road against a Tampa Bay defense that is traditionally strong up front and is fighting to stay on top of the division.
Kamara’s absence also changes the passing game. He’s long been one of the league’s better receiving backs, a reliable check-down option and mismatch creator. Without him, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough will be leaning more on wide receivers Chris Olave and emerging target Devaughn Vele, assuming Olave is able to go.
The Saints didn’t just lose Kamara on Friday’s report, either. Starting right tackle Taliese Fuaga (ankle) and safety Justin Reid (knee) were also ruled out, while Olave (back) is officially questionable and safety Jonas Sanker cleared the protocol to practice fully. That’s a rough combination for an offense already trying to protect a young quarterback and find any kind of balance.
Stats, Injury Report & Schedule Context for Saints–Buccaneers
Sunday’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on December 7 at Raymond James Stadium, with the Buccaneers favored by more than a touchdown on most betting lines.
Key Saints notes:
- Record: 2-10 heading into Week 14.
- Top RB: Alvin Kamara – 471 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD; 186 receiving yards on 33 catches in 11 games (out, knee/ankle).
- Next man up: Rookie RB Devin Neal – 17 touches for 69 total yards in Week 13 vs. Dolphins.
- Other major injuries: RT Taliese Fuaga (ankle, out), S Justin Reid (knee, out), WR Chris Olave (back, questionable).
Key Buccaneers notes:
- Record: 7-5, currently in the NFC South hunt.
- Offensive injuries: WR Mike Evans (collarbone, on injured reserve, out), WR Jalen McMillan (neck, IR, out), while RT Tristan Wirfs (oblique) is questionable after being limited late in the week.
Even with Tampa missing stars of its own, Kamara’s absence looms largest on the Saints’ side. For a team already struggling to run the ball and to score consistently, losing its all-time touchdown leader for another week makes an upset bid on the road that much tougher
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