When Mark Ingram was suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season Diontae Johnson Jersey , Saints running back Alvin Kamara played on 82 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.He dropped to just over 62 percent of the snaps over the course of the entire regular season, but the 611 yards he produced in those four games and Ingram’s departure for Baltimore as a free agent this offseason might lead some to wonder if the Saints might be up for putting more on Kamara’s plate.Kamara has wondered about what else he can do as well, but it doesn’t look like a major change in usage is in the plans. Head coach Sean Payton said he thinks the “pitch count and how we’ve played and utilized him has been really good” over the last two years.“It will be similar to what we’ve been seeing,” Payton said, via ESPN.com. “We’ve been pleased with the balance we’ve had with him. We think it’s been a good count.”Ingram ran for 4.8 yards per carry over the last two seasons, which made for a potent backfield combination. The Saints signed Latavius Murray this offseason to be Kamara’s complement in this year’s backfield and his ability to produce at a similar level will likely play a role in determining how often Kamara is on the field when all is said and done. COSTA MESA Justin Layne Jersey , Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers haven’t needed to rely too much on their run game during their first two games, but that might change on Sunday against the unbeaten Rams.The Chargers (1-1) have called runs on 37.5 percent of their plays the first two weeks, which is the fifth-lowest percentage in the AFC. Despite that, they are averaging 116 yards, which is above the league average of 104 yards.In other words, Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler aren’t getting a lot of carries Benny Snell Jr. Jersey , but they are making the most of their plays.“They’ve been very effective,” offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. “It’s been a tremendous help for us because it opens up other things like play action.”Gordon has only 24 carries, which is his lowest total for the first two games in his four-year career, but he is tied for the team lead in receptions with 15. Gordon had the second three-touchdown game of his career in last week’s 31-20 win at Buffalo, with two TDs coming on catches. He’s also gained over 100 yards from scrimmage in six of his last eight games dating to last season.While the quarterback matchup between the Chargers’ Philip Rivers and the Rams’ Jared Goff is attracting plenty of attention, the running back battle between Gordon and Todd Gurley is tantalizing as well. Both were drafted in the first round in 2015 Zach Gentry Jersey , with Gurley having the advantage so far. He led the league in yards from scrimmage last season with 2,093 while Gordon was fifth (1,581).“We compete. It’s not like we hate each other. We both want to prove we are the best back and it happens that we compete in the same city,” Gordon said.Ekeler had a career-high 77 yards on 11 carries in last week’s win at Buffalo. Three of his longest carries came on runs off the left side.Whisenhunt continues to find different ways to use the second-year back. In the opener against Kansas City, Ekeler caught a 13-yard touchdown while last week he was getting most of the carries.“They are starting to use both of us in different ways and it has been working,” Ekeler said. “It’s going to be important again this week because they have a real solid front five. If we can get the run game going early that can help us in play action.”The Chargers have a lot of experience facing a Wade Phillips defense. They faced Phillips twice a year when he was with Denver in 2015-16.The Rams have one of the best interior pass rushes in the league with Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald at the tackles. They also have gone 12 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.One of the best matchups could be center Mike Pouncey going up against Suh. The two went up against each other often during practices in Miami the past three seasons.“That’s going to make things a lot easier for me and a lot of other guys Nick Bosa Jersey ,” Gordon said of Pouncey. “You have a bully like that up front that ain’t scared to back down, that gets them other guys going.”Pouncey, who is in his first season in Los Angeles after seven seasons in Miami, said getting the run game going early is going to be vitally important this week.“Any time you can run the ball it keeps us on schedule,” he said. “We have been over 100 yards in each game, which is something to build off of.”