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Just last week, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was making history. Now, his playoff status could be in question.
Kamara did not practice Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Underhill reported Kamara is awaiting confirmation after an initial positive.
Alvin Kamara did not practice today. He was waiting for confirmation on a COVID-19 test after having a positive test, according to a source.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) January 1, 2021
Underhill also reported Kamara has yet to exhibit symptoms and is feeling “fine.”
Kamara has not yet exhibited symptoms and is feeling fine, sources tell @NOdotFootball
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) January 1, 2021
The Saints will pray Kamara did indeed receive a false positive.
Kamara has been the team's most explosive offensive weapon this season, racking up close to 1,700 yards from scrimmage and leading the NFL with 21 total touchdowns. He is coming off a six-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings last week, bolstering his sneaky MVP candidacy.
But a positive test would place Kamara's status in doubt for Wild Card weekend.
According to NFL protocol, players testing positive for COVID-19 must miss a minimum of 10 days. It is very possible Kamara would be forced to miss the team's first playoff game if further tests confirm the initial blow. That would be an enormous blow for a Saints team still grappling for playoff seeding.
Kamara lands on the Saints' reserve/COVID-19 list until further notice, missing Sunday's game, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Saints’ RB Alvin Kamara tested positive again and will be placed on Reserve/COVID, per source. He’s out Sunday and now the question will be whether he reruns for the first playoff game.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2021
New Orleans has no path to the No. 1 seed. But the Saints can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, given they hold a tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks. A Saints loss and Seahawks win would make New Orleans the No. 3 seed.
Of course, Saints fans have reason to be more concerned about Kamara testing positive than the team's final seeding. More developments are likely to follow pending the results of additional tests.
