Alvin Kamara, despite not practicing on Thursday due to a nagging foot injury, said that he is OK leading up to the Saints' Week 11 matchup against the Falcons. Kamara, speaking to reporters after practice, said that the foot injury is the same injury that bothered him when he missed practice time prior to the Saints' Week 9 win over the Buccaneers. Kamara, who had just 14 touches for 49 yards in that game, rushed for just 15 yards on eight carries in New Orleans' Week 10 win over the 49ers. He did catch seven passes for 83 yards and a score against San Francisco while helping the Saints improve to 7-2.
"[I'm] feeling good," Kamara told reporters, via Jori Parys of WGNO. "I'll be alright."
While it does not appear that Kamara will miss Sunday's game, the Saints will be without quarterback Drew Brees, who will miss time after suffering multiple upper-body injuries over a two-week period. Saints head coach Sean Payton has not publicly announced who will be his starting quarterback on Sunday. The job will go to either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill. Winston replaced Brees during the second half of Sunday's game, while Hill also received some playing time while helping the Saints maintain their lead in the AFC South.
Kamara, who was also asked about the quarterback situation, said that both Winston or Hill will be prepared to perform when their numbers are called.
"Honestly, I'm going to tell the truth. We've still got to play," Kamara said. "We don't get an automatic bye just because Drew's not playing, or because anybody's not playing. We've got to play still. It is what it is. They get paid to play just like Drew gets paid to play. They'll be ready."
The Saints are surely hoping to duplicate the success they had without Brees last season, when they went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater -- now with the Panthers -- under center. New Orleans has continued to have success this season despite losing All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas for six games.
"I think its resiliency," Kamara said when asked about the Saints' recent ability to have success despite their injury woes. "We know how to win. We know what it takes to win. We know how to prepare. Everybody kind of has the same [mentality] on this team. Everybody knows that you've got to be ready … Everyone knows the main goal, the bigger picture. That's what we keep in mind."
