There have only been three players in NFL history to finish a season with 1,000 yards in both rushing and receiving. Christian McCaffrey was the last player to accomplish this just last year. Because the Carolina Panthers were not in the playoff picture, McCaffrey’s accomplishment wasn’t touted much in the media. The New Orleans Saints are in the NFC playoff hunt largely due to the efforts of Alvin Kamara. If healthy, Kamara could finish 2020 as NFL’s fourth dual 1000-yard player.
Alvin Kamara: Possible Dual 1,000-Yard Player
Dual 1,000-Yard History
Only three players have finished an NFL season with a dual 1,000-yard season. These players are considered among the NFL greats. The latest player, McCaffrey, has only played four years in the NFL but is considered at the top of NFL running backs each year. If McCaffrey continues, he will surely find himself in the conversation of all-time great running backs. The other two players are already in this conversation.
Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk are the other two players who have accomplished the dual 1000 yard season. Craig was the first player to accomplish this amazing feat in the 1985 season. Craig averaged 4.9 yards a carry and 11 yards a reception in 1985. Faulk accomplished this in the 1999 season. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 12 yards per reception in a season where his Rams (then in St. Louis) won the Super Bowl.
Alvin Kamara 2020 Season
Alvin Kamara has had a fantastic 2020 thus far and his statistics closely resemble the players already on this exclusive list. After only 7 games, Kamara is sitting at 431 rushing and 556 receiving yards. Kamara’s rushing stats are lagging a bit behind his receiving yards. This is mainly due to the Saints injury woes. Saints wide receivers have been incredibly thin with the absences of both Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Kamara has had to make up the receiving production left by these players which the Saints relied on. Kamara is currently averaging 12.4 yards on receptions.
These injuries have also caused Kamara’s rushing yards to suffer some. Kamara has only rushed the ball 87 times on the season but is averaging 5 yards a carry. Latavius Murray has carried the ball a lot because of Kamara’s usage in passing plays. It appears as if the Saints receiving corp will be back fully healthy in Week 9. This should allow more time for Kamara in rushing downs.
Yardage Outlook for Remaining Schedule
The Saints have already had their Bbe week so nine games still remain on the schedule. This week’s upcoming matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their top-rated rushing defense will prove to be tough sledding for Kamara. After week 9, the Saints schedule does tend to get a bit easier. Kamara and the Saints get to play the Atlanta Falcons(twice), San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Panthers. None of these defenses are as stout against the run as the Saints will have faced in the first half of the season.
A 1,000-yard season receiving appears to be the total which will be the easiest to get as of now. Offensive heavy games, like the Chiefs matchup on the upcoming schedule, should help this total. Kamara will have to make up some rushing yards against lower-ranked defenses like the Falcons and 49ers. The Saints finish the 2020 regular season against the Carolina Panthers which has one of the worst rush defenses in the entire NFL. Sean Payton is a coach who cares about individual records. If Kamara is close to this total, expect Payton to feed Kamara the ball in this final regular-season game.
Alvin Kamara Outlook
Alvin Kamara could very well end up being the NFL’s fourth player to finish a season with 1000 yards in both rushing and receiving. The New Orleans Saints are in the NFC playoff hunt and Kamara is an integral part of this offense. If Kamara continues to average 62 yards a game rushing and 79 yards a game receiving, this triumph is in clear view. If the Saints finish among the top of the NFC, this could also be the vaulting point for MVP contention as well.
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