To win in Week 6, the Chiefs must stop the Saints’ Alvin Kamara

To conclude Week 5, the (4-0) Kansas Metropolis Chiefs will face the (2-2) New Orleans Saints on GEHA Discipline at Arrowhead Stadium for “Monday Night time Soccer.”

To achieve 5-0, Kansas Metropolis should cease one of many NFL’s finest all-around operating backs: eight-year veteran Alvin Kamara, who leads the league with 536 all-purpose yards. That’s 134 scrimmage yards per sport.

Kamara ranks third in speeding with 362 yards (90.5 yards per sport) and second amongst operating backs with 174 receiving yards. He’s nothing lower than the center and soul of the New Orleans offense.

Speeding assault

With an offensive line that’s sturdy in run help, the Saints use outdoors zone and toss appears to open lanes alongside the perimeter — the place Kamara can make the most of his imaginative and prescient and reducing potential.

On this play, New Orleans makes use of a pin-and-pull look to get Kamara in area. With a pleasant pin block from the tight finish, the left sort out pulls into area, making a lane the place Kamara runs untouched for a primary down.

Strong run blocking (and play-calling) have made issues simple for Kamara in 2024.

Right here we see the Saints’ offensive line doing a great job with attain blocks to seal the defensive entrance. One other strong block from a large receiver permits Kamara to maintain bouncing the run additional outdoors. With the perimeter absolutely sealed, he walks the tightrope to get into the top zone for a landing.

For the Kansas Metropolis protection, setting the sting should be a high precedence — nevertheless it should even be prepared for the cutbacks Kamara can deliver.

Right here, the Atlanta Falcons’ protection does a great job of setting the sting in opposition to an out of doors toss look — however Kamara stops on a dime, permitting the defenders to movement previous him. His super stop-and-start opens up one other back-side operating lane that he makes use of to rumble down the sector. He makes one other juke to keep away from a sort out as he plunges forward for further yards.

So even at 28, Kamara remains to be one of many sport’s elite change-of-direction gamers — which additionally helps him within the passing sport.

Catching the ball

Throughout Kamara’s productive profession, his versatility has set him other than different operating backs. His influence within the passing sport is the place he has supplied New Orleans with one of the best worth. Whereas he’s by no means gathered 1,000 speeding yards in a season, he’s had 1,100 scrimmage yards in each single season — and a minimum of 1,300 in all however one. He’s had a minimum of 400 receiving yards in seven straight seasons.

This begins, after all, with Kamara doing a great job on checkdowns and screens — the place he can exhibit his open-field operating potential.

On this play, New Orleans executes a wonderfully timed slip display to Kamara, who does a great job following his blockers downfield — and has loads left within the tank to take it to the home.

Whereas Kamara could be very efficient on these conventional appears, what makes him a particular operating again is having the ability to line up large, the place he turns into a mismatch for opposing defenses.

Ranging from this backfield on this rep, Kamara motions out large and runs what appears like a quick-out route — however as soon as the zone defender has reached his mark, he rapidly darts again inside to discover a delicate spot within the protection.

This play demonstrates how Kamara can beat zone protection through the use of his quick-cutting potential to make issues laborious on defenders.

Kamara additionally has nice arms — maybe one of the best amongst NFL operating backs — which permit him to make performs deep downfield.

Right here, Kamara aligns large earlier than he motions inside simply earlier than the snap. This makes the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary begin to “bump” down the road. This tells the Saints offense that the Eagles are operating man protection — and in opposition to a linebacker, Kamara may have a major benefit.

So on the snap, Kamara rapidly blows by the linebacker on a wheel route. Quarterback Derek Carr would not throw a really correct move, however Kamara adjusts on the run earlier than hauling within the move for a formidable achieve.

The underside line

Kamara offers New Orleans with the complete bundle. To cease him, the Kansas Metropolis protection might want to deliver its A-game.

Setting the sting — and holding the road of scrimmage — would be the first precedence. To date this season, the protection has been stout in opposition to different high speeding assaults. That should proceed on Monday.

Setting the sting will fall on the shoulders of George Karlafits, Mike Danna and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. With Danna coming off of an harm, the Chiefs might proceed to present Anudike-Uzomah extra snaps on the sting — and he should be prepared.

It will likely be as much as the defensive tackles and linebackers to cease Kamara’s cutbacks. Chris Jones, Mike Pennel, Derrick Nnadi, Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal will all have vital roles in stopping Kamara on the bottom.

Gamers like Chammari Conner, Trent McDuffie and linebacker Drue Tranquill might want to restrict Kamara within the passing sport. We’d even see Conner and McDuffie play nearer to the road of scrimmage.

Briefly, nearly each defensive participant may have a job in stopping this terrific participant. But when the Chiefs can get it finished, they’ll have a great likelihood to win Monday evening’s sport.