Alvin Kamara expects a fine for wearing a pair of Christmas-themed shoes that, as it turned out, would also be worthy of a Hall of Fame display.
With a red shoe on his right foot and a green one on his left, Kamara tied an NFL record set in 1929 by running for six touchdowns in a game.
He finished with a career-high 155 yards rushing to help New Orleans beat the Minnesota Vikings 52-33 on Friday and clinch a fourth straight NFC South title.
Photo: AP
“It just feels good to have one of those days, just for the team,” Kamara said, showering credit on the offensive line and insisting that he did “the small part.”
“I’m not focused on personal, like, goals and yards and stuff like that,” Kamara said. “As long as the team has success, then personal success will come.”
And it has come all season for Kamara, who during training camp signed a five-year contract worth up to US$75 million.
Photo: AP
He has since set Saints records for rushing TDs in a season with 16 and total TDs with 21 — he has five receiving.
As for wearing shoes that did not conform to the NFL’s uniform codes, Kamara said: “If they fine me, whatever it is, I’ll just match it and donate to charity. You know, the Grinch always tries to steal Christmas.”
Kamara slipped a couple tackle attempts and then sprinted into the clear for a 40-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive.
Photo: AP
He added scoring runs of one, five, six, seven and three yards against a Minnesota defensive front hit hard by injuries, and equaled Hall of Fame fullback Ernie Nevers’ achievement.
Only a tactical decision by Saints coach Sean Payton stopped Kamara from possibly setting a new mark of seven rushing touchdowns.
The Saints were leading 38-27 on third and goal on the Minnesota one-yard line in the fourth quarter, and while Kamara was on the sidelines ready to enter the fray, Payton ran the play without him.
Photo: AFP
Backup quarterback Taysom Hill scored on the one-yard run.
“I wasn’t worried about it,” Kamara said. “Taysom was like: ‘My bad’ and I said: ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s all good, we’ll spread the wealth.’”
Kamara later added his sixth touchdown after a 41-yard catch by tight end Adam Trautman had driven the Saints down to the three-yard line.
Photo: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY
Minnesota (6-9) were eliminated from playoff contention while allowing the most points by any Vikings team since 1963.
“They just mashed us up front,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said, calling his defense “the worst one I’ve ever had” as a coach.
“We couldn’t slow them down. It would be eight-yard gain, seven-yard gain,” Zimmer said.
The Saints (11-4) never punted and set a record of yards gained in a game by a Vikings opponent with 583.
Payton said that it felt like a Canadian Football League game, with many first-down conversions coming before New Orleans even got to third down.
The Saints might have won by a greater margin if not for two interceptions of Drew Brees, one of them on a pass that deflected off receiver Emmanuel Sanders’ hands.
Brees completed 19 of 26 throws for 311 yards in his second game back from rib and lung injuries that had sidelined him for four games.
Kamara’s milestone was not the only one at the Superdome, with Brees becoming the first player to pass for 80,000 career yards.
Brees achieved the milestone when he connected with Latavius Murray on a nine-yard completion early in the second half.
Sanders had four catches for 83 yards, while tight end Jared Cook caught three passes for 82 yards.
New Orleans’ 264 yards rushing were the most by a Vikings opponent in Zimmer’s seven seasons.
New Orleans native Irv Smith Jr caught a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter for the Vikings, the second pulling Minnesota to 31-27, but the Saints responded with two short touchdown runs by Kamara and the one by reserve quarterback Hill in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Kirk Cousins passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns for the Vikings, who never led and trailed for good after Kamara’s second TD in the first quarter.
Kamara equaled a record Nevers set for the Cardinals when they called Chicago home.
“It was awesome,” Brees said. “Six touchdowns for a running back is just astounding.”
Saints players celebrated the last TD by pretending to make snow angels on the Superdome turf, which center Erik McCoy planned during the final drive as something that stuck with the Christmas theme.
Payton, who spent part of his youth in the Chicago area, was thinking about Gale Sayers’ six-TD game (four rushing, two receiving) against San Francisco in 1965 when he called the play that led to Kamara’s sixth TD with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
“I’d say most of these players have no idea how good Gale Sayers was,” Payton said, adding that Kamara’s TD total “was a big deal. He played fantastic.”
In a game that saw both defenses struggle, Saints receiver Marquez Callaway made a play that any defensive back would appreciate when he prevented Eric Wilson from intercepting a pass Brees threw right at the linebacker.
With a second chance, Brees hit Callaway for 11 yards on the next play and then found Cook.
That set up Kamara’s third TD run of the half to put New Orleans up 24-14.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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