Message received, the Cardinals need to improve their running game

TEMPE, Ariz. — Sixty-seven.

That’s the number of rushing yards gained by the Arizona Cardinals, not last week or even the week before, but in the past two games combined.

It’s an unacceptable number considering the Cardinals finished with the league’s eighth-best ground attack this season, averaging 119.8 yards per game; the first time since 1984 that the Cardinals finished a season ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in rushing.

So what’s happened, first against Seattle and then in the Divisional Round against Green Bay?

“Getting their ass kicked upfront,” head coach Bruce Arians said, referring to the offensive line.

Leave it to Arians to provide the simple explanation.

One thing about Arians, though, what he tells the media is nothing he hasn’t already told his team, just in perhaps more colorful language.

“Yeah, they told us today (in the meeting),” center Lyle Sendlein said Tuesday, drawing laughter from reporters. “We should’ve had a little more success in the run against Green Bay.”

The Cardinals managed only 40 rushing yards against Green Bay, second lowest only to the 27 yards gained against Seattle for season-worst performances.

The Packers made a concerted effort to stop the run, often stacking the box with eight, sometimes nine defenders.

“We have things in the game plan for when they do stack the box and we still didn’t execute,” Sendlein said. “If we’re going to want to keep playing, we’ve got to improve our run game.”

How? Well, again, that’s simple. The Cardinals need to win their one-on-one battles up front.

“Just block. That’s it. That’s all you got to do,” right tackle Bobby Massie said.

The Cardinals don’t need a 100-yard rusher to beat Carolina in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. They do need, however, to at least have some semblance of a threat when the ball is placed in David Johnson or Andre Ellington’s hands.

“It’s very important because, not just for the play-action,” Johnson said, “it gets us moving the ball, takes a lot less on Carson (Palmer) having to throw the ball and rely on throwing it more. When we’re able to run the ball, it keeps our offense on the field and it just overall helps our whole team.”

The Cardinals rushed for 100 or more yards 11 times this season, winning 10 of those games.

But again, it’s not how much but how efficient the Cardinals can be, and need to be, when running the football.

Against both Green Bay and Seattle, the Cardinals averaged a season-worst 2.1 yards per carry, a far cry from their season-mark of 4.2.

“It’s not anything David is doing,” Arians said. “There’s just not a lot of holes there and we have to do a better job.”

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