Kenyan Drake comfortable with ‘keys’ to Cardinals top-5 rushing attack
Sep 23, 2020, 8:02 PM
Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake (41) celebrates with the football after a play during the NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals on September 13, 2020, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by MSA/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by MSA/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kenyan Drake is just 10 games into his career with the Arizona Cardinals, but the fifth-year running back seems to have finally found the right fit in the desert.
Drake discussed what has been working for the Cardinals on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday.
“When I got to Arizona, coach Kingsbury just kind of gave me the keys and I was able to use everything I had been through up to that point in my career to just go out there and play football,” Drake said.
Drake leads the Cardinals in rushing attempts and has 146 rushing yards through two games, good for 14th in the NFL. Between Drake and quarterback Kyler Murray, the Cardinals’ rushing attack ranks fifth in the NFL averaging 170 yards per game.
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It also ranks fourth in the NFL in fourth quarter points and third in fourth quarter possession share, according to TeamRankings.com. Drake’s one touchdown this season came in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.
“The faster we go the more we end up wearing down the defensive line at the end of the game,” Drake said.
“If you look at the last couple of games in the fourth quarter, at the end of the game we’ve been able to end the game on our own terms.”
Murray, who leads the Cardinals in rushing yards and touchdowns, has also logged two of his three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The two speedsters have slightly different styles, which seem to complement each other well.
“His acceleration, his stop and go ability is second to none,” Drake said about his quarterback.
When asked who was faster, Drake said it depends.
“His acceleration is going to get him to 40-yards pretty quick. At the same time if it’s a 100-yard dash, I feel like I have that in the bag,” he said.
In terms of being a running back, adding a little bit of weight might be the key to help him sustain this production. Drake is on pace to set a new career high in carries.
“I feel comfortable around 210 (pounds),” he said. “I’ve tried to sustain it a little better with a better diet.”
Drake’s touches have increased in each of his first four seasons in the NFL since being drafted in 2016 out of Alabama. He took over primary running back duties this season after the Cardinals traded David Johnson to the Houston Texans.
