After an offseason of questions, the Arizona Cardinals opened Week 1 with an impressive win over the Los Angeles Chargers. A key piece of that win ended up being rookie running back Jeremiyah Love.
After getting injured in the preseason, there was some doubt about whether or not Love was going to be able to play for the Cardinals in Week 1. He wasn’t the bell cow, in large part because of the injury, but he did stand out for the Cardinals on offense.
Love finished the game with 11 carries for 41 yards. He also had his first career rushing touchdown to help the Cardinals jump out ahead of the Chargers. Love also had 2 receptions for 9 yards. In the running game, Tyler Allgeier led the way with 17 carries for 61 yards, though that was slightly fewer yards per carry than Love had.
Arizona Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Has a Prediction for Jeremiyah Love
There is no doubt that the Cardinals would like to see Jeremiyah Love become more productive than 41 yards rushing. However, given that he was coming off injury, that is somewhat more understandable. It’s also a start to his rookie season that Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur predicted Love will build on throughout the year.
“Saw the explosive,” Mike LaFleur said. “I mean, that first touchdown I thought you saw the explosiveness. I expect him to get better and better… He hasn’t practiced in three or four weeks. He’s just going to get more and more conditioned out there to go.”
Love suffered a high ankle sprain during the preseason opener. After that, he was severely limited in the preseason and training camp. So, with that in mind, the rookie is due some grace.
LaFleur would also go on to make it clear that he was happy, overall, with the running game. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, though.
“But I thought our backs, especially in that fourth quarter. I thought we started grinding out some yards. This isn’t an absolute, but that first week is hard to run the ball. It just is. Everyone’s got the fresh legs, for the most part,” LaFleur said.
“And for us to at least chew out some yards there, get out of the backed up situation after [Andrew Wingard] had a pick and at least get it to the four. I hated my short yardage call right there with Jacoby… I ended up keeping to the short field and there was nothing there. That was on me, as well. So, I’ve got a lot to clean up.”
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett Also Praised Love
The hope for the Cardinals is that veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett can steer the ship and take advantage of the weapons around him. He’s already a fan of having Jeremiyah Love beside him in the backfield.
“The touchdown was all him,” Jacoby Brissett said. “I don’t think it was even supposed to go that way. You hand him the ball and you watch. That was my first time seeing like, ‘Oh, yeah. Okay.'”
Importantly, Brissett pointed out that Love wasn’t necessarily create big plays. He was, however, able to avoid negatives and fight when there wasn’t much room.
“I thought he played well in the pass game and in the run game,” Brissett said. “Getting some gritty runs where there’s one yard, two yards, and making somebody miss in the backfield and just getting us back to the line of scrimmage. I thought he did a really good job. He’s one of the main ones in the locker room saying, ‘I have so much in the tank left.'”
The Cardinals will have a much tougher test next week when they host the Seattle Seahawks. There, Love will be tested against one of the NFL’s best rushing defenses.
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Makes Bold Prediction for Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love