The Arizona Cardinals have officially ruled out running back Jeremiyah Love for Sunday's Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday.
This was a difficult decision in the sense that everyone around the organization is eager to see their No. 3 overall investment pay off. But ultimately it's in the best long-term interest of said investment to rest against the Rams.
The Cardinals enter Week 6 as massive road underdogs, meaning this is a game they in all likelihood will lose with or without Love. Besides, even if he did suit up, it's clear the Cardinals wouldn't be getting him at full strength. Love's ankle issue affected his efficiency in their Week 5 blowout loss against the Detroit Lions, where he turned 12 carries into just 22 yards.
He recovered surprisingly quickly from the high-ankle sprain suffered in the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, Love is unfortunately dealing with yet another ankle issue, only this time on his left foot.
Cardinals are right to prioritize the long-term health of Jeremiyah Love
Even if this was a seemingly winnable game against the Rams, the Cardinals still shouldn't risk their steep draft investment. This is a transitional season anyway in their rebuild, and they can't afford to risk any long-term problems in pursuit of a win that won't mean much in the scheme of things.
Fortunately, it sounds like the Cardinals are on the same page when it comes to that. We've seen that already through how they've managed his workload to start the season, which was yet another frustrating but ultimately right approach. Now, they continue to show that Love's long-term health is the top priority with this decision to shut him down entirely to get that ankle right.
His next opportunity to suit up will now come Sunday, October 25th in a home matchup against the Denver Broncos. It remains to be seen what his chances of playing in that contest are, but the Cardinals shouldn't risk anything until he's close to, if not fully at, 100 percent.
In the meantime, expect former Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier to take on more of a bellcow role in Love's absence. Allgeier hasn't been particularly effective through five games in Arizona. His 35 carries for 119 yards on the season is currently a career-low 3.4 YPC.
The Cardinals average 91.6 yards rushing as a team through five games, tying with the Philadelphia Eagles for 23rd in the league. A large part of that is due to a flawed and injured offensive line, though things unfortunately won't come easier with Love now sidelined as well.
Still, the Cardinals are wise to prioritize the health of their recent draft investment, even if it means things could get even uglier for the time being.
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