The Arizona Cardinals Have to Run the Ball Better

The Arizona Cardinals have to improve the running game if they want the offense to thrive

When talking about the Arizona Cardinals offense, the image that comes to mind is one of high scores and deep passes. They’ve been in the top ten in passing yards for the past two seasons, and inside the top 14 in each of the last four years. Head coach Bruce Arians likes to push the ball down the field, and has continued to add speedy receivers to that end.

In 2016, the Cardinals were ninth in the NFL in passing yards and third in passing attempts. This sounds like a good thing, especially factoring in the fact that they were also ninth in total offense. It’s misleading, however.

Last season, seven teams had over 600 pass attempts. Only one of those, the Green Bay Packers, made the playoffs. Conversely, three of the top seven teams in rushing attempts were in the postseason, including two of the top three. Two other teams out of that seven were over .500, leaving five of the top seven teams in rushing attempts with winning records. Obviously, some of that is because losing teams are behind more often, and have to throw, but the best teams usually have more balance.

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David Johnson was one of the NFL’s best players in 2016. He led the league in yards from scrimmage and touchdowns, and finished 7th in rushing yards. He made big play after big play, and certainly made a name for himself. Behind Johnson, though, it was pretty barren. The team’s next leading rusher was Kerwynn Williams, who had just 157 yards.

If the Cardinals want to get back into the playoffs, the running game must figure more heavily into the game plan. Nearly 62% of ran plays were passing plays last season. A down the field offense is nice, but it won’t work if defenses know it’s coming.

Johnson had a big season, but it could be better next season. He averaged just 4.2 yards per carry, which was just 18th in the NFL. Questions at center and right guard must be addressed this off-season, then they need to decide on a backup running back to help take the load off of Johnson. Once they have the personnel in place, they’ll need to adjust the game plan to get the run game more involved.

Next: The Cardinals Need to be More Like the Atlanta Falcons

The Cardinals are a talented team. Despite many things going wrong last season, they finished 7-8-1. With the right moves, they can be just as talented as they were last year, despite the number of free agents they have. The talent, though, won’t make a difference if they can make the offense work. If they have an improved run game, it will open up the passing game. That’s football 101.