The Arizona Cardinals didn’t just lose badly to the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. They may be without star running back David Johnson for weeks.
Sunday afternoon was not kind to the Arizona Cardinals up in Detroit. Not only did they get whooped by Matthew Stafford’s Detroit Lions 35-23, the Cardinals may be without their best offensive player for the foreseeable future.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter via Chris Mortensen, “An MRI on Monday will determine whether David Johnson will miss a ‘few weeks’ or ‘half the season or more’ with sprained wrist.”
An MRI on Mon will determine whether David Johnson will miss a "few weeks" or "half the season or more" with sprained wrist, per @mortreport
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 10, 2017
Johnson had emerged as one of the best running backs in football. He went No. 1 overall in many fantasy football leagues for his versatility as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. Without Johnson, expect the Cardinals offense to be significantly worse going forward.
Arizona will have to win with defense. The Cardinals can do it, but quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald aren’t getting any younger. Some have argued that the Cardinals’ Super Bowl window closed in 2016. With Johnson, it’s probably shut in 2017.
Can the Cardinals replace Johnson? Well, they’ll have to try to do so. Do keep in mind that he was a mid-round pick out of Northern Iowa just a few years ago. Arizona actually wanted Ameer Abdullah out of Nebraska over Johnson, but he went to the Lions ahead of them in the 2015 NFL Draft.
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The Cardinals do play in a division with two rebuilding teams in the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. While the 49ers looked rough against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Rams trounced the Indianapolis Colts at home. Let’s not forget who runs the NFC West. Though the Seattle Seahawks lost in Green Bay, this is still their division, especially with Johnson out for the foreseeable future.