Jeremiyah Love looked like a force for the Arizona Cardinals offense in their 36-30 loss on Sunday afternoon.
Going into the 2026 season, it looked like Love would split carries with Tyler Allgeier. Through the first two games, that seemed to be the case. Love had 20 carries for 70 yards, while Allgeier had 22 attempts and 71 yards.
Then came Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, where Love played in 55 snaps and broke out for 90 yards on 21 carries. Allgeier carried the ball twice for a loss of one yard. Love went from splitting the workload to snagging over 90 percent of the carries between the two backs.
He also caught five passes for 19 yards and a touchdown, giving him a solid 109 yards from scrimmage. This was the kind of performance Arizona expected when it drafted Love in April. Meanwhile, Allgeier added four catches for 10 yards and saw the field for just 31 snaps.
While it doesn’t mean Allgeier has been demoted after just one game, it could indicate a shift should this trend continue into Week 4.
Jeremiyah Love’s Consistency Running The Ball Earned Him The Nod
Love consistently ran the ball well. His long of eight yards meant he averaged 4.1 yards per carry on his other 20 attempts. Head coach Mike LaFleur acknowledged this fact postgame, saying, “He got in a groove. I think he handled the workload well.”
Consistency will be key in determining if Love keeps this role in the Cardinals backfield. It’s also possible that Allgeier could get a few good carries in the future and see more action than he did on Sunday.
Then there is James Conner, who is still out from a severe foot/ankle injury he sustained in Sep. 2025. Conner won’t threaten to take away a lot of carries from Love at this point in his career. But he could sneak his way into the lineup in short-yardage situations.
Still, if Love keeps gaining roughly four yards per carry, there is no question that he will get the bulk of the workload in Arizona’s backfield.
Love’s Performance Could Improve Quarterback Play
Regardless of who’s playing quarterback, consistent play from Love will help the Cardinals’ quarterbacks. While Jacoby Brissett’s yards per pass attempt looked bleak despite throwing for 280 yards, Love’s ability to pick up solid yardage kept the option to run the ball open as the Cardinals tried to pull back from a 23-6 deficit.
If rookie Carson Beck gets a chance behind center this season, Love will make life a lot easier for the young signal caller. He’s also proving to be a reliable checkdown option, which would further play into a young quarterback’s hands.
For now, however, we’re in wait-and-see mode. If Love mostly gets the backfield to himself, it means the first-year back is making serious strides early.
Even if he lapses back into a timeshare with Allgeier and perhaps Conner once the latter is cleared to return, it would just mean Arizona would have a solid committee of backs to work with. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about the situation in the Cardinals’ backfield.
Jeremiyah Love May Have Officially Taken Over The Cardinals Backfield