New Orleans Saints

After missing the last regular-season game due to being moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara could play Sunday against the Bears, and he teased his return in a tweet Thursday.

In a cryptic move, Kamara turned off replies for the tweet.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Kamara has been preparing to play throughout the week. He has participated in team practices from his home, where he watches live video and can listen to head coach Sean Payton via a microphone that he uses to directly communicate with the star. 

Getting Kamara back for the postseason would provide a major boost for the Saints. He led the team in rushing and receiving yards throughout the regular season, with 932 yards on the run and 756 receiving yards with 21 touchdowns.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has reportedly been able to take part in he practices remotely as he awaits clearance to return from the COVID-19 list. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Kamara has been using "a live video decoder at his home to watch practice and can hear coach Sean Payton" guide him through the plays. 

The Saints placed Kamara on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Jan. 1, two days before their regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers. 

Per NFL rules, the coronavirus list is for players who either test positive or are deemed to be a high-risk close contact of someone who tested positive. 

The league's health and safety protocols require players and coaches who test positive without symptoms to sit out for at least 10 days and return two negative tests 24 hours apart before they can return. 

Anyone deemed to be a high-risk close contact must sit out for five days and pass daily COVID-19 tests from the date of last contact with the individual who tested positive. 

Kamara led the NFL with 21 total touchdowns during the regular season. He also finished third with 1,688 yards from scrimmage. The 25-year-old led the Saints with 187 carries, 107 targets, 83 receptions and 756 yards. 

New Orleans will host the Bears in the NFC Wild Card round at 4:40 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The New Orleans Saints will be at home for their wild-card game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, but head coach Sean Payton was hoping to have a stadium full of fans.

"I brought up the idea of testing 50,000 people and quarantining them in a hotel and having the most safest Superdome known to man, scientifically," Payton said Wednesday, per Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate. "Bus them, they've tested every day, and you've got a COVID-free facility."

While this could theoretically keep people safe from the COVID-19 pandemic, it would also require a large amount of people to be away from their lives for an extended stretch just for one game. Adding in hotels and daily testing would make it an expensive proposition.

Instead, the Saints are down to about 3,000 fans at games after the latest changes from city officials.

New Orleans often employs one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL, although the team has been eliminated in the playoffs at home in each of the last two years despite having crowded seats. Maybe a relatively empty Mercedes-Benz Superdome can help turn things around for the Saints.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas reportedly has a "solid" chance to return from an ankle injury for the team's Wild Card Round game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported the update, noting Thomas is expected to practice on limited basis Wednesday before ramping up his activity throughout the week.

The 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year suffered a high-ankle sprain during the Saints' Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He returned for the Week 9 rematch with the Bucs and played six games before landing on injured reserve because of continued problems related to the ankle injury.

Thomas, who set the NFL record with 149 catches in 2019, recorded just 40 receptions for 438 yards and no touchdowns across seven appearances during the 2020 regular season.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said Sunday that he expected his top target would return for the playoffs after a second opportunity for the bothersome ankle to heal.

"I know we get Mike Thomas back—I think the last three weeks being down have been great for him," Brees told reporters.

A healthy Thomas would be a major boost to a Saints passing attack that's leaned heavily on Alvin Kamara, who led the team with 83 receptions and posted 187 carries, as Thomas would give the unit a true No. 1 outside target.

The Bears rank 11th in total defense and 26th in total offense.

So while the Saints should be able use their fourth-ranked defense to keep Chicago at bay, their offense faces a tougher test. Having one of the NFL's top playmakers back would provide a boost to those efforts.

Kickoff at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is scheduled for Sunday at 4:40 p.m. ET on CBS. Thomas' availability may be known well before that based on his practice participation in the coming days.

Emmaneul Sanders had a very good reason to look forward to Sunday's matchup against the Carolina Panthers despite the New Orleans Saints already locking up the NFC South.

The veteran wideout needed to record eight catches in Week 17 to reach his $500,000 incentive for 60 receptions in a season. His teammates seemed to know it, too, because quarterback Drew Brees kept targeting him until he eclipsed the mark.

On the eighth catch, Sanders popped up and began celebrating with a money gesture, rubbing his hands together to show off the extra payday he earned.

It took 12 targets from Brees for Sanders to earn his bonus, but the hard work paid off.

Now the wideout may have to find some way to reward Brees for ensuring his bank account grew a bit larger.

Drew Brees may have signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Saints in March, but no one thinks he will stay around for the second season.

"Everybody expects after this season Drew Brees will retire," ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Sunday NFL Countdown. He continued:

"They thought that last year and he surprised them in March by deciding to come back. This time, he's got a signed contract with NBC. This time, he's another year older. This time, he's played through the 11 fractured ribs, the punctured lung. It's been a difficult, physical season and I think most people still believe that this will be the final season for Drew Brees in New Orleans and in the NFL before he turns to the broadcast booth."

Brees returned to the lineup in Week 15's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after missing three games with fractured ribs. While the Saints could have rested him in favor of Taysom Hill, Brees pushed himself to come back and ready himself for the playoffs—perhaps for one final time.

New Orleans has been eliminated on its home field each of the last two postseasons, with Brees underperforming in losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. There has been some understandable level of concern about Brees' playoff acumen at this point in his career, given the limitations caused by his lack of downfield arm strength.

Brees remains a high-level performer in the regular season, though he's shown clear signs of wear in 2020. Even if the Saints fail in the playoffs, it would not be a surprise to see Brees walk away for a lucrative broadcasting career rather than continue to chase one final ring with diminishing results.

The New Orleans Saints will reportedly be without running backs Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Michael Burton and Dwayne Washington on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

According to Fox's Jay Glazer, Murray, Burton, Washington and running backs coach Joel Thomas were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after Kamara was placed on the list Friday.

Glazer noted that the Saints will move Ty Montgomery back to running back from wide receiver and call a running back up from the practice squad for Sunday's game.

Kamara is coming off the game of his life, as he rushed for 155 yards and an NFL record-tying six touchdowns in a 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day.

On the season, Kamara has rushed for 932 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 83 passes for 756 yards and five scores.

The bulk of the backfield load without Kamara in the lineup normally would go to Murray. As the main complement, he has rushed for 656 yards and four touchdowns. He has also caught 23 passes for 176 yards and a score.

Burton is a fullback, and Washington is a reserve running back who has just eight carries.

While Montgomery was primarily a wide receiver at Stanford, he has no shortage of experience at running back.

He has spent the bulk of his six-year career as a running back with the Saints, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.

His most productive season at that position came with Green Bay in 2016, when he rushed 77 times for 457 yards and three touchdowns while reeling in 44 passes for 348 yards.

The only running back listed on the Saints practice squad is Tony Jones Jr., so he figures to get the call.

Jones played four seasons at Notre Dame, and his best statistical year was his senior campaign in 2019, when he rushed for 857 yards and six touchdowns on 144 carries while catching 15 passes for 104 yards and a score.

With few options at running back, the Saints may take to the air more often with quarterback Drew Brees. Head coach Sean Payton could also look to integrate backup quarterback Taysom Hill and his rushing ability more often.

The Saints have already clinched the NFC South and a playoff spot, so Sunday's game isn't of paramount importance, but they could still earn the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye with a win plus a Packers loss and Seattle Seahawks win.

The New Orleans Saints announced Friday they placed running back Alvin Kamara on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Kamara is out for Sunday's game at the Carolina Panthers and there are questions about his availability for the playoffs.

The running back is coming off a historic effort in Week 16, having scored six rushing touchdowns in a Christmas Day win over the Minnesota Vikings to tie a 91-year-old record and help the Saints clinch the NFC South.

The 25-year-old leads the NFL with 21 touchdowns and has a career-high 932 rushing yards plus 756 receiving yards. It's the fourth straight year he has topped 1,300 yards from scrimmage and earned a Pro Bowl selection.

In 2020, Kamara has been a steady presence for an offense that has had key injuries throughout the year, including to Drew Brees and Michael Thomas.

Latavius Murray can handle extra carries with Kamara sidelined—he has 656 yards on 4.5 yards per carry this season—but the Saints would suffer without a key playmaker in both the passing and rushing attack.

Though New Orleans has already clinched a playoff berth, the team can still earn the NFC's first-round bye with a win plus a Green Bay Packers loss and Seattle Seahawks win.

Any more missed time for Kamara would be especially damaging for a franchise that has fallen short of expectations in the postseason over the past few years. New Orleans finished 13-3 in each of the last two seasons but was eliminated in overtime losses both times. From 2017 to 2019, the Saints lost in the divisional round, the conference title game and then the Wild Card Round.

Not having its star running back for the playoffs would be another blow for the organization.

Alvin Kamara's historic six-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day wound up costing him money for violating the NFL's uniform policy. 

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the New Orleans Saints star was fined $5,000 for wearing red and green cleats in the 52-33 win. 

Kamara seemed well aware a potential fine was coming, so he pledged to turn the NFL's discipline into a moment of kindness for charity:

The NFL has relaxed some of its uniform policy requirements for players, but the adjustments don't apply to the actual game. Darren Rovell reported for ESPN in 2017 that players can wear personalized cleats during warmups and pregame and provided "greater flexibility on cleat color" during games. 

Despite the league's openness to allowing players to show more personality with their uniforms, Kamara's Christmas-themed cleats didn't fall under that rubric. 

Regardless, Kamara will get the last laugh since he turned in a performance for the ages. The 25-year-old tied Ernie Nevers' NFL record for rushing touchdowns in a game. The Saints' win also clinched the NFC South title for the fourth straight year.  

New Orleans Saints tailback Alvin Kamara won plenty of fantasy football managers their championship games with his epic six-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas.

Now those managers are paying their good fortune forward. 

The Son of a Saint organization supported by Kamara received $21,000 from nearly 400 donors since Kamara's big day, per ESPN's Mike Triplett. The charity supports the mentorship of boys whose fathers have either been incarcerated or died. 

"People, they're strong about this fantasy football throughout the whole year. ... I don't want to even echo some of the stuff that they've messaged and tweeted, stuff like that," Kamara told reporters of fantasy players who've reached out this year. "But it's good to see people keep their word and they're willing to donate."

Kamara added that he's never played fantasy football, so he's not sure how money moves around in those leagues, but he's "blessed" that his effort has been able to help Son of a Saint.

"It's going to a good organization," he said.

The organization's founder, Bivian "Sonny" Lee III, the son of former Saints defender Bivian Lee, was also quick to express his gratitude. 

"We are especially grateful to Alvin for selecting Son of a Saint as his charity of choice," Lee said. "As an organization, we turn 10 years old at the strike of midnight, so this makes the generosity even more meaningful as we kick off 2021."