Lions' season-opening opponent to be without longtime RB

As the NFL regular season swiftly approaches, the Detroit Lions' Week 1 opponent for its Sept. 13 regular-season opener has already been hit hard by the injury bug.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is expected to be sidelined for at least a month due to a sprained MCL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The former Tennessee Volunteer was injured during a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., on Aug. 18, when he took a handoff and ended up in a pile of bodies, with his leg appearing to get caught under another player. Following the play, Kamara limped off and did not return.

Saints RB Alvin Kamara is expected to be sidelined for at least the next month due to a sprained MCL, per source. pic.twitter.com/trWgn6ZQBk

Kamara, 31, was selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft and would go on to capture the 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Although Kamara has been a mainstay in the Saints backfield over the past nine seasons, he is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he had career-lows in rushing yards (471), receiving yards (186) and total touchdowns (one).

Former Lions quarterback and current Saints head coach Kellen Moore also said he expects running back Audric Estime to miss a few weeks after he was injured in Aug. 15's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints will also be without wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who are both dealing with hamstring injuries.

In March, the Saints signed former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year deal, and he has received most of the first-team reps in training camp this summer and will be the starting running back against the Lions with Kamara out. Behind him, the Saints have a running back room of Estime, Kendre Miller, Ty Chandler and CJ Donaldson.

Devin Neal is a part of that group of backs, too, but he also suffered a hamstring injury during the Saints' preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

Although the Saints will start the season with a handful of injuries, Dan Campbell and the Lions will certainly not overlook them, especially since Detroit has been a prime example in recent years of a team that has persevered through injuries.

The Lions and Saints are scheduled to kick off at Ford Field on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. ET, with the game broadcast on Fox.

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions' season-opening opponent to be without longtime RB