Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice, USA TODAY Sports
Saints Hope Latavius Murray Can Be Clutch vs. Chicago
Back in March when the New Orleans Saints signed then-free agent RB Latavius Murray to a 4-year, $14.4 million contract, the thought process of front office brass at that time was to have a player that they could rely on in critical or 'clutch' situations; just like the one they'll be facing this Sunday.
When they take the field against their NFC rivals the Chicago Bears, the Black and Gold will be without the services of starting #1 RB Alvin Kamara; who has been ruled out of this contest and is still nursing knee and ankle injuries.
That means that the 29-year old Murray will be asked to shoulder the load of the Saints running game, against a tenaciously-tough Bears defense that currently is ranked 5th overall in the NFL. And while no one really expects Murray to put up huge numbers on Sunday, the only expectation New Orleans will have is the hope that he can at least help keep the Bears run defense honest.
Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay. USA TODAY Sports
Undoubtedly it will be a tough task, but New Orleans simply will be sticking to their "next man up" philosophy that's seen them win their last four straight games in a row without starting #1 QB Drew Brees.
Prior to their 13-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday, the 6th-year NFL veteran Murray had only tallied 58 rushing yards on 18 carries in his first five games with his new team.
But when Kamara reaggravated his ankle injury and additionally "tweaked" his knee in that contest, it was Murray who admirably stepped up to fill the lead RB role; as he carried the ball 8 times for 44 rushing yards and added 3 catches out of the backfield for 35 more receiving yards.
As it turns out, his numbers would have been even much higher, had he not had a brilliant 42-yard TD catch-and-run on a screen pass from QB Teddy Bridgewater called back because of a holding penalty.
Nevertheless, Murray's contributions played a key role in that victory, and they'll need him to at least have a somewhat similar type of performance in a little more than 48 hours from now; once this critically-important contest gets underway at Soldier Field on the south side of Chicago.
Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay, USA TODAY Sports
"I liked his pad level and thought he finished extremely well", Saints head coach Sean Payton told reporters in his post-game press conference after the win at Jacksonville. "He's a veteran player who's had success in our league. He's a slash-type runner with very good speed and vision and he understands exactly what we're trying to do philosophically as an offense".
Prior to his signing with the Saints in Free Agency, the 6-foot-3, 230 pound Murray previously played for the Oakland Raiders, the team that originally drafted him in the 6th Round of the 2013 NFL Draft; and then spent another two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before he lost the starting role there to current Vikings star RB Dalvin Cook.
Counting his numbers against the Jaguars last Sunday, the Titusville, FL native in 83 career NFL games has rushed for a grand total of 3,836 yards on 931 carries along with 35 TD's; and additionally has caught 137 passes out of the backfield on 172 targets, for another 950 yards receiving.
That's nearly 5,000 yards of total offense for the former University of Central Florida star; who didn't really make a name for himself until his senior year of college with the Golden Knights program located in suburban Orlando. Future Hall of Fame-type numbers they probably aren't, but they do illustrate how effective he can be when called upon.
"I would say that was his best performance as a Saint and we needed him for sure", Saints starting left tackle Terron Armstead told reporters this past Monday in reference to last week's win at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. "We needed every second of it, and we're going to need him even more going forward".
Armstead's comments may have actually been a bit of foreshadowing, now that he and the rest of the team will be counting on Murray to help the Saints offense compensate for Kamara's expected absence.
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice, USA TODAY Sports
Given the uncertainty of how long Kamara will be held out of action, it's not far-fetched to think that Murray could get another start next week when New Orleans hosts the Arizona Cardinals at the Superdome. It's not hard to envision the team keeping Kamara "under wraps" until Week #10, which is when they eventually will return from their Bye Week that immediately will begin following the game against Arizona.
However, first thing's first: which is that the Black and Gold will need Murray to contribute just enough in the running game on Sunday, if they want to try and win a game against the Bears that most likely will have NFC Playoff seeding implications once the end of the season arrives.
The Saints are hoping that Murray can be clutch vs. Chicago, and in the process earn themselves a very good return on what they already believe so far has been a sound investment....
