When rookie Jeremiyah Love made his first appearance in the Arizona Cardinals jersey on Thursday against the Las Vegas Raiders, he dropped several promising moments for the fans to cheer. However, after the first half, head coach Mike LaFleur pulled Love out of the game. While concerns around major injuries surfaced, LaFleur has come up with a positive update for the Cardinals fans.
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“He could have returned if we needed him to, so he’s fine,” LaFleur said during the post-game press conference. “But again, you never know. It’s one of those things that maybe tomorrow it’s a little more sore than the next, so we’ll take that day by day. Again, just talking to him in there, he was good and excited and happy to be out there playing.”
Hearing Mike LaFleur’s words, it seemed more like a precautionary move than a forced one to bench RB Jeremiyah Love from the second-half action.
Love started the game alongside quarterback Jacoby Brissett, taking 8 of the first 11 offensive snaps. He remained in the game to rotate with Tyler Allgeier, eventually carrying the workload for 8 out of 10 snaps on the team’s third offensive drive.
However, shortly after, Love’s foot got awkwardly “twisted up” on a play, which caused an ankle sprain, prompting LaFleur & Co. to hold him for the remainder of the game.
But before exiting the game, the No. 3 overall draft pick racked up 72 yards from scrimmage in the first half. Out of that, there were 11 rushing carries for 58 yards and 3 receptions for 14 yards.
Despite Love’s absence, the Cardinals comfortably went on to win the game 27-14 against the Raiders. But watching the rookie running back gave immense joy to the Arizona head coach.
“Well, if you have a back that can run routes out of the backfield, you typically have favorable matchups,” LaFleur said about Love’s performance. “There’s obviously certain linebackers that are really good at covering guys. If you got a guy that you feel is pretty dynamic, that can obviously be a pretty big weapon for you.”
In the 2025 season, Arizona’s backfield combined for fewer than 300 carries and averaged just 93.1 rushing yards per game (the second-lowest in the NFL). Jeremiyah Love was drafted specifically to fix this identity, bringing 4.36 speed and a promising track record (42 college touchdowns) to immediately lift a struggling unit.
Love already showcased a few glimpses of his prowess during the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. Next up, the Arizona Cardinals will face the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Will the 21-year-old RB shine yet again, or will the complications around his “twisted” ankle resurface? Only time will tell.