Solid ground attack has solidified Arizona Cardinals offense

Kenyan Drake, Kyler Murray and Chase Edmonds have combined to give the Arizona Cardinals the NFC’s top-ranked rushing attack

When the Arizona Cardinals adopted the “Air Raid” offense back in 2019, many NFL observers believed that Kliff Kingsbury would heavily feature the pass. Quite a few experts expressed concern about what kind of role, if any, the team’s running backs would play in the gameplans of the Cards new head coach and play-caller. Would the squad’s ball-carriers become nothing more than an afterthought for Kingsbury and his offensive assistants?

Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Heading into their week 17 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals are the proud owners of the NFC’s number-one ranked rushing attack. In fact, the 145.9 yards per game that Arizona is averaging is currently

the third-best total in the entire National Football League.

With just one contest remaining in the 2020 campaign, the Cards have already racked up 2,189 yards on the ground. The squad has tallied an impressive 22 rushing touchdowns, and are averaging a healthy 4.7 yards per carry for the season. Behind those sparkling statistics is a three-headed running attack that is one of the best in professional football.

The leader of the trio is Kenyan Drake, a former member of the Miami Dolphins who was acquired back in October of ’19. The 26-year old, who was traded to the Cardinals for a fifth-round draft pick, is just 81 yards away from the first 1000-yard campaign of his career. Drake, who has also found the end zone 10 times this fall, will be looking to cash in as a free agent in 2021.

In just his second campaign with the Redbirds, Kyler Murray has established himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL. In 15 appearances thus far in ’20, the 5’10, 207 pounder has amassed 816 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Murray’s dual-threat ability has caused nightmares for many of the league’s defensive coordinators throughout the season.

The third member of the threesome, Chase Edmonds, may be one the most underrated performers in football. The third-year back out of Fordham University has carried the rock 94 times for 451 yards and five total scores this year. Edmonds has been called into duty on quite a few occasions this season, and Arizona’s offensive attack has not missed a beat.

Kingsbury has done a fantastic job of utilizing the Cards running backs he’s been handed. The notion that the offensive guru would rely primarily on the pass has been disproven. While the Cardinals are certainly capable of finding success throwing the football, Kingsbury’s group can tote the rock with the best of them as well.