Alvin Kamara’s knee injury leaves the Saints in a tough spot

NEW ORLEANS — Saints running back Alvin Kamara injured his right knee in the first quarter of Sunday’s 24-10 loss to New Orleans, and it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

“We have to go through the process of it,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “We will have to do a full review” on Monday.

Kamara was coming off one of his most productive performances of the season, gaining 115 yards in a Week 10 win at Carolina before getting extra rest during the Saints’ Week 11 bye.

The nine-year veteran’s absence against the Falcons left the Saints with just one regular running back: rookie Devin Neal. So, the Saints asked Tassom Hill, who often substitutes as the Wildcat quarterback in the game, to take some snaps at running back.

“There were a lot of things I finished today that I had zero time to work on,” Hill said. “That’s the nature of the NFL and the numbers game you end up playing” with a maximum of 46 active players during games.

Hill was “thrown into some tough situations,” Saints quarterback Tyler Shaw said.

The Saints finished with 79 yards rushing.

Neal had 18 yards on seven carries and Hill had 17 yards on 10 carries. The injury came after being his team’s top rusher with 22 yards. Fellowes did not have a run of more than 6 yards.

Kamara, New Orleans’ leading rusher this season, had a short reception along the left side when he was tackled by Falcons linebacker Kayden Ellis — a former Saints teammate.

As Kamara went down, Tek twisted him and bent his knees awkwardly. Kumara immediately let go of the ball and grabbed his knees with both hands.

He remained on the sidelines for most of the first half, appearing to test his knee to see if he could stay in the game. But after a second inside the blue wound tent, he gave up.

Kumara had three catches for 11 yards and two catches for 4 yards.

Known for his versatility, Kamara has 471 yards and a touchdown rushing on 131 carries this season, along with 33 catches for 186 yards receiving.

Quarterback Tyler Shaw said Kamara’s absence affected the offensive game plan “the most.”

“He’s a big part of what we do as an offense,” Shaw said. “Hopefully he’s OK … but I was proud of Devin and what he was able to do.”