The Arizona Cardinals didn’t get much luck with Jeremiyah Love’s injury. In fact, they got an expected update on his ankle sprain, even if it was the last thing they wanted to hear, again.
Jeremiyah Love is officially ruled out of Sunday’s Week 7 game vs. the Denver Broncos, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed. The rookie running back is “trying to get right after a high-ankle sprain.”
Jeremiyah Love Out for Week 7 vs. Broncos
Cardinals insider Tyler Drake further confirmed the news, saying, “Jeremiyah Love, Walter Nolen III, Andrew Wingard and Jon Gaines II are out this week, per Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur.”
It was expected after Love didn’t practice Thursday but still tried to get some work in on the sidelines with the trainers. Thanks to the same joint issue he’s been dealing with since mid-August.
The No. 3 overall pick sustained a high-ankle sprain on his left leg during Arizona’s preseason opener against Las Vegas.
Love tweaked the ankle again in the fourth quarter of Arizona’s Week 4 loss. He gritted through a reduced workload in Week 5 (playing just 36 snaps), but the compounding pain and lack of explosive movement on game day forced Arizona to shut him down from practice entirely starting October 9, ultimately sidelining him for Weeks 6 and 7.
With Love officially sidelined, Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight will see increased reps in Week 7 games. With Love still finding a way back after recovery, Knight and Allgeier get another chance to impress LaFleur and establish themselves as starters in case Love’s recovery takes longer than expected.
Bam Knight Coming for Tyler Allgeier’s RB2 Spot in Cardinals
Knight doesn’t need more games to leave an impression. His Week 6 appearance at the SoFi Stadium was enough to show that the Cardinals do not need to panic that much, after he played a key role in the offense that pulled off the biggest upset of Week 6 against the Rams.
Knight ran 15 times for 80 yards in the 18-16 win over the Rams. Tyler Allgeier carried 18 times for 38. Allgeier still played more snaps, 40 to 32, and the Cardinals’ team site described Knight’s role as week-to-week, with a return to third on the depth chart once Love is healthy.
With Love out, Knight still has a chance to make a case for a potential RB2 status whenever Love comes back. The chances of LaFleur putting Love on the back seat, once he is healthy, are virtually zero, but Knight can at least make a case strong enough to earn him a few reps.
That said, if Knight maintains his current level of play, he could easily usurp Allgeier’s spot on the depth chart.
Allgeier has 157 yards on 53 carries this season, 3.0 per attempt, per Pro Football Reference. Knight has 112 yards on 18 carries, 6.2 per attempt. The sample is small, but it includes a 31-yard run in Los Angeles and an 18-yarder against Seattle, and Arizona’s offense hasn’t produced many of those.
“That’s been my mentality coming into this season,” Knight said after the Cardinals’ win over the Rams, per AZ Cardinals’ Darren Urban. “I feel like every time my name comes up, people are like, ‘He’s a good third back’ or ‘He’s a good team guy.’ I want to show not only this organization but the league I am capable of playing Sundays. And not just when somebody goes down.”
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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