The Arizona Cardinals’ run game has struggled all season long. It hasn’t helped that the unit has been pretty injured. James Connor suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3, and Trey Benson got injured the week after, in his first game as the starter.
Since then, it’s been a combination of Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, Bam Knight and rotational running backs from the practice squad. With limited options, the Cardinals’ rushing game has suffered severely.
How Do the Cardinals Get the Run Game Going?
It’s no secret that to get the running game going, the offensive line has to win its jobs at the line of scrimmage. However, that’s also been a struggle for Arizona this year.
The Cardinals’ offensive line has also dealt with injuries in 2025, and it hasn’t been able to provide consistent protection or gaps in the run game all year.
Arizona’s offensive line is ranked No. 24 in the NFL, according to PFSN’s Team OL Impact.
The Cardinals’ run game is even worse. Arizona ranks No. 27 in total rushing attempts and No. 26 in rushing yards, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact.
As the Cardinals get ready to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. spoke on the run game and how it falls on his offensive line.
“I was talking with the o-line this week, and I was like, ‘Yeah, we have to put it on us.’ Drew’s going to call those runs; we have to put that on us,” Johnson said. “We can’t start to look around and be like, ‘Why is it not happening?’ We have to take that as – we have to build that trust.
“We have to create that, and we have to force it. If we’re not choosing to force it with our play and our movement, then that’s on us, completely.”
Johnson has played in 10 of the 11 games this season and ranks second on the Cardinals’ offensive line behind center Hjalte Froholdt with a 76.3 grade, according to PFSN’s Player OL Impact.
Johnson added that his unit’s movement and violence up front will determine the run game’s impact in Tampa Bay.
“We’re not going to look around and be like, ‘This is what should be happening.’ All that talk – that’s not going to do anything,” Johnson said. “That’s not going to block a soul. We just have to force it with the movement, with the violence we come off the ball with, to the point where we have nothing else to do except come back to it.
“So, ultimately, what happens in Tampa Bay in the run game is ultimately going to be on us to show them that’s what we should be doing.”
Johnson and the Cardinals have their work cut out for them. The Buccaneers defense ranks just 17th in the NFL, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact, but they are No. 7 in the league against the run.
If Arizona wants to get the ground game going on Sunday, it’s going to need to be patient against a stout front in Tampa Bay.