Commanders must adopt Bill Belichick strategy to stop Alvin Kamara in Week 15

Fielding a quarterback who's never started a game in the NFL would be a major worry for most teams, but the New Orleans Saints can still feel confident in Week 15. That's because five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara could dominate unless the Washington Commanders have a targeted plan to stop him.

The strategy must be based upon spying on Kamara and attacking the dynamic weapon, particularly in the passing game. He has already established a career-best rushing mark — bad news for a Washington defense yielding 4.8 yards per carry — but No. 41 is also a major threat as a receiver.

Although he can strike from anywhere on the field, the Commanders can use a simple rule of thumb to decide how to play Kamara on each snap. It's a little something from the pages of a Bill Belichick playbook.

Commanders can use Bill Belichick gameplan vs. Alvin Kamara

How's this for simple? The Commanders should play run if Kamara is debutant starting signal-caller Jake Haener. If he is offset to either side, Washington must play the pass.

The simplest things usually work best. If this plan sounds familiar, it should.

It's basically what Belichick and the 2001 New England Patriots used to stymie dual-threat Marshall Faulk, the oil in the engine for the St. Louis Rams and their 'Greatest Show on Turf' offense, in Super Bowl 36.

Knowing where Kamara is can help the Commanders switch in and out of eight-man fronts to deny him running lanes. Even when the extra man isn't needed for stuffing the run, he can be used to diffuse his influence in the passing game.

Fortunately, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. have two defensive backs perfectly suited for a downhill, attacking assignment.

The players in question are rookie Mike Sainristil and veteran Jeremy Chinn. The rookie cornerback has been defying expectations as a capable coverage presence on the perimeter, but he should see more time in the slot now that four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore is finally ready to make his debut.

An attacking brief from the slot helped make Sainristil a star for Michigan's national title defense last season. The 24-year-old proved himself adept as a pass-rusher out of creative pressure packages.

Sainristil should blitz straight at Kamara any time he joins the rush at the Caesars Superdome. So should Chinn.

Blitzing over Kamara will force the skilled pass-catcher to stay in and block, rather than run a route out of the backfield. That's a win for the Commanders every time.

Both Sainristil and Chinn will be the key figures in overloading the line of scrimmage to contain Kamara in both phases. Chinn's experience as a linebacker makes the 220-pounder an ideal box safety, while Sainristil playing nickel naturally puts the physical first-year corner on the defensive front.

Having one or both of these defensive backs blitz through gaps and get downhill in a hurry will stop Kamara before he builds any momentum. Having Sainristil keep eyes on the 29-year-old when he's offset will also help the Commanders quickly get hats on Kamara once he catches a pass.

Keeping one of the NFL's most elusive playmakers surrounded and forcing him to react will derail a Saints offense almost completely tethered to a single threat.

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