Saints RB Alvin Kamara avoided major knee injury, but could miss time

Let's start with the good news -- Alvin Kamara escaped Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons without a serious knee injury. His year isn't over. But that's the good news. The bad news is that Kamara did suffer an MCL strain, per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, and he could miss some time recovering from it.

Maybe it's a week. Maybe it's three weeks. We don't know for sure, but Underhill stressed this is "nothing that's super serious or threatening long term." He also noted that Kamara and his recovery team have beaten timelines before to get back on the field sooner than expected.

Still, it's the latest injury in what's becoming a hazardous year for Kamara's health. He was already managing an ankle issue by practicing on a limited basis before and after the bye week. Now a key ligament in his knee is bothering him, too. It's a lot to ask of a 30-year old running back, to gut it out through a couple of leg injuries and lead the team in rushing attempts (131). Kendre Miller went down after seven games with his own injury and still ranks second on the team in carries (47).

How could step up if Kamara can't go this week against the Miami Dolphins? Devin Neal and Audric Estime are the only other running backs on the 53-man roster, with Evan Hull stashed on the practice squad. But it was Taysom Hill seeing the lion's share of rushes when Kamara was ruled out in Sunday's Falcons game. Hill gained just 17 yards on 10 carries, his longest pickup going for 4 yards; Neal rushed for 18 yards on seven carries, so neither of them made much headway. Kamara's contract ends after next season and he's been talking about retirement. Getting fresh legs at running back must be a priority in the spring.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints RB Alvin Kamara avoided major knee injury, but could miss time