Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Alvin Kamara's NFL boogeyman shows up again during strong performance vs. 49ers that was tarnished by timely mistake

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Adam Holt | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 8:50 PM ET

Play-calling, timing, and so many other factors play a role in the small aspects of the NFL game. For the New Orleans Saints, a costly fumble by running back Alvin Kamara hurt their chances of making a comeback and earning a victory in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers.

While I did not love the usage of Kamara (and Spencer Rattler's decision to dump it off to him) on this particular play, it was a mistake that the veteran running back would admit that he needs to avoid going forward.

Kamara's odd fumbling trend continues against San Francisco

According to Nick Underhill, Alvin Kamara has lost seven fumbles during his NFL career. Four of the fumbles are while facing the 49ers defense. Star linebacker Fred Warner has forced two. Warner was also part of the play in a third against Kamara. It's a mind-boggling reoccurrence for one of the top running backs in football.

The fumble by Kamara today was a questionable one, though. He fumbled the ball after an awkward catch where he had the football wedged near his helmet. He clearly bobbled it early in the interaction with the defender, but the officials clearly believed he completed the catch then lost the ball prior to being down.

On the field, it was ruled that he was down, but it was later overturned into a fumble recovered by the 49ers after a lengthy review by the officiating crew. The 49ers challenged the original call to force the review.

Maybe that was the right call on the Alvin Kamara fumble in Saints-49ers.

But I've spent the last two weeks watching catch after catch get overturned when guys don't hold onto it all the way to the ground. So why was this a catch?
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) September 14, 2025

This sort of statistic is always a weird one to look at, simply because it may just be a bit unlucky. At the same time, you have to give the 49ers a bit of credit, too. They are clearly targeting the football when they go to take the RB down and never give up in pursuit if the ball does come free.

Going forward, I wouldn't expect fumbling to be a real issue for Kamara - since it hasn't been a consistent problem throughout his pro career. That being said, this mistake was one that definitely shifted momentum, that New Orleans had pulled back towards them in the second half.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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