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Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson has had quite a ride this season. Johnson, 30, was a pleasant surprise for the Cards since he was signed in August by the team. He was among the NFL’s leading rushers with 814 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games before landing on injured reserve with a fractured tibia sustained during a game on Nov. 29. Johnson hasn’t played since.
With one more win — over the Panthers in the NFC Championship Game — the Cardinals will be back in the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history, and Johnson would then be back for the first time since sustaining his injury.
Johnson, who insists he’s ready to go right now, isn’t eligible to come off of the NFL’s short-term injured reserved list until the Super Bowl. But if Arizona is in the big game, Johnson says he’ll be there, too.
“I’m playing,” Johnson told USA Today. “I’m ready to go right now.”
After Chris Johnson went down this year, rookie running back David Johnson stepped in. In the final five games of the regular season, David Johnson carried the ball 90 times, picked up 442 yards, and scored four rushing touchdowns.
Fans could get excited at the prospect of a two-back monster in the Cardinals backfield to go along with star quarterback-receiver combination Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald through the air.
