How the Arizona Cardinals can win the NFC West in 2020

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals talks with Kyler Murray #1 on the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Carolina Panthers at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona.Panthers won 38-20. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

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Arizona Cardinals, Kenyan Drake (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

2. Continue to feed Kenyan Drake on a consistent basis.

In 2018, the Arizona Cardinals were the bottom-ranked offense in the NFL and that included finishing 32nd in the league in both rushing and passing yards.

The club finish with a paltry 83.9 per game on the ground and was limited below the century mark in 13 of their 16 outings. The team totaled 355 running plays, the fifth-fewest in the league. The club’s leading rusher was former Pro Bowler David Johnson, who accounted for 940 yards and seven scores. The Cards as a team finished with 1,342 yards on the ground and nine rushing touchdowns.

But all that changed with the addition of head coach Kliff Kingsbury and rookie quarterback Kyler Murray in 2019. The latter certainly did he share when it came to improving Arizona’s running attack, finishing with 544 yards and four touchdowns. But the big pickup was the acquisition of running back Kenyan Drake in a midseason trade with the Miami Dolphins.

Thanks to a late-season surge, he would lead the club with 643 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in just eight outings with the franchise.

In Arizona’s final three games, Drake amassed a combined 58 carries for 363 yards and seven scores. If he picks up where he left off this season, he and the Cardinals’ offense (which added wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins via trade this year, analysis by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell) could be highly dangerous.

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