The Arizona Cardinals’ difficult 2024-25 season continued on Sunday with a 41-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. After James Conner and Trey Benson were both placed on injured reserve earlier in the season, Arizona’s backfield became a committee of three backs: Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, and Bam Knight.
Unfortunately, that trio has been reduced to a duo following Demercado’s injury on Sunday. ESPN insider Adam Schefter provided an update on the running back’s status.
How Serious Is Emari Demercado’s Injury?
In a post on X on Tuesday morning, Schefter said, “Initial tests revealed that Cardinals RB Emari Demercado suffered a high ankle sprain against the 49ers and now is unlikely to play Sunday vs. the Jaguars, per source.”
Initial tests revealed that Cardinals RB Emari Demercado suffered a high ankle sprain against the 49ers and now is unlikely to play Sunday vs. the Jaguars, per source. pic.twitter.com/HThlzU9mHm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2025
A high ankle sprain is an injury that can linger and significantly limit a running back’s ability to cut and explode out of breaks. Although Schefter’s update only suggests Demercado is unlikely to play this week, it is never a good sign when a running back deals with this type of injury, as it often leads to multiple weeks on the sideline.
However, the Cardinals have not provided an official timetable, so his availability beyond Week 12 remains uncertain. Given the demanding nature of the position, it would not be surprising if Demercado ends up missing more than just one game.
So far, Demercado has not had a robust 2025-26 campaign. The moment he will be most remembered for this year is letting go of the football just before crossing the goal line against the Tennessee Titans, which resulted in a touchback and, ultimately, a loss for the Cardinals. On Sunday, Demercado played 14 snaps before leaving with the ankle injury. In those snaps, he recorded five rushes for eight yards and two catches for 12 yards.
Arizona’s inability to establish a productive ground game has consistently hindered its offense throughout most of this season. According to PFSN’s offensive impact metric, the Cardinals currently have the 20th-best offense with an impact score of 72.4. Considering they have scored 20 or more points in every game this season, that ranking seems fair.
That said, the Cardinals’ run game took another hit with the loss of Demercado. With only Knight and Carter left in the backfield, Arizona’s running game is in a difficult situation.
