Arizona Cardinals Place Runningback James Conner on Injured Reserve
Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner suffered a knee injury in the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Conner’s injury occurred on a 35-yard run and was unable to return after exiting in the second quarter. The injury update came on October 10th when the Cardinals placed Conner on the IR meaning he’s at least out the next four weeks.
This injury could not have come at a worse time both for the Cardinals and Conner. James Conner who was off to a great start this season had 68 carries for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Conner is also averaging 5.4 yards per carry and was a main vocal point in the Cardinals’ offense. With Joshua Dobbs starting at Quarterback, the Cardinals were relying on their rushing attack to keep defenses honest. Now with Conner gone for at least four weeks, the Cardinals will turn to rookie running back Emari Demercado and second-year running back Keaontay Ingram. Demercado got all the carries against the Bengals after Conner got hurt. He finished with a line of 10 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. Ingram on the other hand didn’t get any carries Week 5 as he was inactive with a neck injury. It will be interesting to see how they split carries going forward as the Cardinals try to dig themselves out of a 1-4 record.
Photo Credit: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
In addition, the Cardinals may call more passing plays with the loss of James Conner, but it won’t be just to throw the ball, it’s possible that Dobbs will begin running more. In three out of their first five games, Dobbs has rushed for at least 40 yards. With this, we know Dobbs is willing to use his legs. So, for the next four weeks don’t be surprised if Dobbs has more rushing yards and rushing attempts than he has the first five weeks of the season. Without Conner, the Cardinals’ offense will change at least slightly, but they will likely stick to their philosophy of having a well-balanced attack that leans on the running game.
