Saints will be without their entire running back room vs. Panthers
The Carolina Panthers’ defense will have a few less weapons to deal with when the New Orleans Saints come to town Sunday.
The Saints’ running back room will be unavailable for tomorrow’s game due to COVID-19 protocols. The game is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. Sunday on FOX.
Running back Alvin Kamara was placed on the league’s COVID-19 list Friday, just a week after rushing for six touchdowns in a Christmas win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Now the Saints will also be without Latavius Murray, backup Dwayne Washington, fullback Michael Burton and running backs coach Joel Thomas, in addition to safety D.J. Swearinger. All of the players were placed on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. Running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery, backup quarterback Taysom Hill and practice squad running back Tony Jones are expected to be available.
The last time these teams met in Week 7, the Saints rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown, averaging 4.8 yards per run. New Orleans converted 12-14 third downs overall.
With a win and a Green Bay Packers loss to the Chicago Bears, the 11-4 Saints would get the only NFC first-round bye in the playoffs. The 5-10 Panthers are currently ninth in the 2021 NFL draft order. They could move as high as third and as low as 13th.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 11:57 AM.
