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Arizona Cardinals: Chris Johnson Juking His Way into MVP Consideration

By Shaun Church

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Chris Johnson is second in the NFL in rushing through Week 7. His 567 yards on 111 carries (5.1 yards per carry) are the most through seven games by an Arizona Cardinals running back since Edgerrin James had 603 in 2007—James ended up with over 1,200 yards that season.

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Johnson is the second Cardinals back since 1960 with 500 yards and at least 5.0 yards per carry through seven games.

The only other player to do it was MacArthur Lane way back in 1970, according to Pro Football Reference.

His numbers are impressive considering Arizona’s history with running backs and the fact that Johnson wasn’t sure he would be playing football this season (or ever again, for that matter). But he is, and he’s playing it at an MVP level.

After Week 4, he was on pace for just over 1,200 yards. In three weeks since, he has upped his season pace to nearly 1,300 yards, carrying 43 times for 265 yards (6.2 YPC) and a touchdown.

That touchdown was no walk in the park, either. During Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, Johnson recorded his third, 100-yard game of the season, highlighted by a hard-fought touchdown that proves he is one of the hungriest players in the league.

Since Andre Ellington returned from a knee injury three weeks ago, Johnson’s touches have dropped only slightly. During the three-week stretch Ellington missed, Johnson averaged nearly 21 touches per game; in the three weeks since, he has averaged just shy of 15. Considering his 6.2 yards-per-carry average over that span, perhaps Johnson should be leaned on a bit more.

Are there more-worthy MVP candidates at the moment? Sure. But in taking a look at how “valuable” Johnson has been to the Cardinals this season, it’s clear he should be gaining steam in the running for the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

In Arizona’s two losses, Johnson averaged 4.1 yards per carry and did not score a touchdown. He totaled eight runs of five yards or greater, which is 26.7 percent of his carry total in losses. The run game never truly got going, which, in turn, helped stall quarterback Carson Palmer and the passing game.

But in the team’s five wins, Johnson averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns. His 30 rushes of five or greater yards represent 37.0 percent of his total carries in wins.

It’s clear the more successful Johnson is, the more successful the Arizona offense becomes.

I wrote last week that Palmer is most at fault for the team’s two losses. While that ultimately is true because of the quarterback’s inaccuracy in key situations during those games, the team may have been in better situations late had Johnson been more successful.

That’s not to say it’s his fault, because a lot of factors go into running the football, the same way many different factors go into completing a pass. But it is a tale as old as the game itself: If you cannot run the ball, chances are you won’t win many games.

That’s why Johnson is in the hunt for MVP two months into the season. Without him, the Cardinals are probably not as good as they are right now.

What happens to the run game if Johnson is not on the roster when Ellington missed three games?

Coach Bruce Arians would have had to rely on veteran Stepfan Taylor (career 3.3 YPC) and rookie David Johnson, or even Robert Hughes, whom the team cut after signing the former 2,000-yard back.

Chris Johnson is an MVP candidate. You should probably get used to hearing that.

Next: Andre Ellington is a forgotten man

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