Arizona Cardinals: Five keys to winning NFC West
By Scott Allen
Feed the beast
David Johnson we all know was a beast last season. The Cardinals will need him to be again in 2017. He had 20 touchdowns (16 rush, 4 pass), rushed for 1,239-yards and had 80 receptions in 2016.
That all came from being a workhorse. The Cardinals goal is to get Johnson 25=30 touches a game. That was the goal last season as well and it worked.
They did dodge a bullet when Johnson injured his leg in week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams last season. He turned out to have a sprain and was off his feet for six weeks.
He returned for all of the OTA’s and minicamp. He will be ready to go once again this year.
The only difference you may see this season is possibly fewer carries but more opportunities in the pass game, if that’s at all possible.
Johnson is a rising star in this league (number 12 on the NFL Network’s top 100 in 2017). He was an MVP-candidate in 2016. He will need to play like one again in 2017 in order for the Cardinals to get back to winning the NFC West and beyond.