Cardinals badly missed David Johnson in loss to Cowboys

The Arizona Cardinals season started off on the most sour note possible when star running back David Johnson went down with a wrist injury. It required surgery and he was placed on injured reserve, costing him most of the season. Arizona has since been reduced to a rotation between Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington, and Kerwynn Williams.

Replacing Johnson was going to be a rocky road no matter what, but his absence was most felt in the Cardinals’ 28-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, dropping them to 1-2 on the year. The complete lack of a threatening run game was one of the Cardinals’ biggest factors in their disappointing home loss.

Arizona started the game off hot, with Carson Palmer leading a deadly efficient drive to put his team up early, 7-0. The Cowboys continued their offensive struggles from last week’s blowout loss to the Denver Broncos, with neither Dak Prescott nor Ezekiel Elliott getting much production going. This was the Cardinals’ best chance to put Dallas to the sword and assert their early dominant start.

However, with no Johnson to put fear into the opposing defense, the Cardinals also struggled to move the ball throughout the first half. They held on to that 7-0 lead as long as they could, but Prescott eventually got back on track and drove the Cowboys deep down the field late in the second quarter, capped off with an 11-yard touchdown run. What could’ve been a big Cardinals’ lead turned into a 7-7 score at halftime.

That was the last time the Cardinals would have the advantage. While the score stayed close, with Palmer hitting Larry Fitzgerald in the third quarter to make it 14-14, that was the last time Arizona seriously threatened. Dallas went on to score two more touchdowns and ice the game, with the Cardinals never finding the end zone again.

Palmer and Fitzgerald did just about everything they could to win this game — Palmer finished with 325 yards on 29-of-48 passing, while Fitzgerald tied a career high with 13 catches and added 149 yards. But the run game was Arizona’s Achilles heel all night. Chris Johnson, Ellington, and Williams combined for just 42 rushing yards on 18 carries, with Johnson in particular running into brick walls (12 carries for 17 yards).

Without David Johnson’s unique skill set and pass-catching threat, the Cowboys’ defense had no reason to fear the Cardinals’ backfield, pressuring Palmer with impunity and locking down receivers in the secondary. Palmer got sacked six times and no other wide receiver reached three catches. The second-leading receiver behind Fitzgerald was Ellington, who was productive (five catches, 59 yards) but hardly matched Johnson’s talent level.

At 1-2, the Cardinals’ season is hardly over by any stretch, and there’s still a lot to like about this team. Palmer can still play at age 37. Fitzgerald is still one of the best in the business. The defense sports tons of individual talent, and did a good job holding the Cowboys in check before the dam burst in the second half.

Week 4 has a nice bounce-back spot against the San Francisco 49ers, but after that they face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home, and a road date with the much-improved Los Angeles Rams. They have an uphill battle to climb, and it’s going to be much harder without Johnson. So much of the offense is built around him that his absence leaves a noticeable black hole in the middle of the field.

We’re not ready to write off the Cardinals yet, but without their best offensive player, it’s a lot harder to trust them. Coach Bruce Arians will have an unenviable task trying to right the ship.