As Alvin Kamara spoke to the media after the Saints' win over the Washington Football Team, he did so with a large patch of blood spreading across his shin.
When he was asked where it came from, he stepped out from behind the podium to give those in attendance a closer look. But what caused the injury, which appeared to be minor? That's tougher to say.
"It's kinda busted," Kamara said, noting that it had gone numb but he couldn't pinpoint when it happened. "It's all good."
The Saints' star running back didn't appear concerned about his leg, he is a football player after all. But it was the clearest sign of a steep workload in Week 5. With backup Tony Jones hurt, Kamara got all the backfield touches aside from one handoff to Kenny Stills for 1 yard. He rolled up 71 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 16 carries, while also catching 5 passes for 51 yards and another score.
The 21 touches were actually down from a week ago, but he also picked up punt return duties with Deonte Harris going down with an injury. Kamara joked that he'd do it all the time, but the team said it didn't have the money to pay him for it.
"If they got some more money I'll do it full-time," Kamara joked.
Kamara made it clear he was more than willing to do whatever the team needs, though it wasn't really in question. Winston said he actively looking for his running back more this week after Kamara went without a target for the first time of his career in a loss to the Giants. In a bit of irony, Week 5 pitted the top two pass-catching running backs from the 2020 season. Kamara led the NFL with 83 receptions. Washington's JD McKissic was just behind at 80.
The real question is how many hits the team wants to have its star take early in the season. Kamara said one of the hits he took on a return was probably the hardest hit he's had on him in his 5-year career.
The Saints have a bye week next, so there's a good chance Harris and others down with injuries can make a return for Week 7 in Seattle. If not, Kamara's halftime joke to his teammate could be tested again.
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"I told Deonte at halftime, 'you done. You might as well -- don't come back,' Kamara recalled, laughing. "I told him, 'if I score, it's over.' "
Jokes aside, losing an All-Pro returner in Harris is also an impact to the passing offense. The speedster broke the top off the defense on the Saints' second possession, beating Landon Collins deep for a 72-yard touchdown. Jameis Winston laid the ball in perfectly, and it set a new season-high in yardage for Harris in just the fifth game of the season.
"It's all predicated on [the safety's] depth," Winston said. "He was probably at about 12 yards, and his speed versus Deonte's speed, it's not really a comparison.
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That picture-perfect Jameis Winston deep ball by sandwiched by turnovers, an uneven start that kept the game much tighter than it probably should've been. Without that field stretcher, the offense appeared to be a stifled a bit.
Taysom Hill was heavily involved in the offense early on, but went out after a nasty hit to the head trying to haul in a ball up the seam. Kenny Stills (2 catches for 17 yards), and Adam Trautman (2 for 43) were the only others to catch passes in the game.
But Kamara and Marquez Callaway, who also split return duties, helped pace the offense with timely catches and scores. When will injured play-makers return? That's an issue to worry about after the bye week. The Saints go in at 3-2.
"Just going into the bye week with some energy. We're winners. I always say that. We want to win. We never want to lose," Kamara said. "The difference between 2-3 and 3-2 is huge."
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