Cardinals’ Emari Demercado is currently on his redemption arc

TEMPE — Emari Demercado made headlines for the absolute wrong reason last month.

Celebrating early and dropping the football before crossing the goal line, his flub was a big part in Arizona’s collapse against a lowly Tennessee Titans squad.

The video of the sideline altercation between head coach Jonathan Gannon and Demercado didn’t help quiet the noise, either. Neither did the $100,000 fine levied on the head coach by the team.

Then came an ankle injury after seeing just three plays and one carry in the next game before having to sit out the Green Bay tilt due to the issue.

If there was ever a time Demercado was truly in it as a pro, it was that stretch headlined by the almost touchdown.

“It got pretty bad. I won’t sugarcoat it,” Demercado said Wednesday.

But relying on his camp and focusing his craft, while also turning off notifications on social media, has Demercado in a much better place.

“Somebody told me, the ones that love you won’t judge you and the ones that judge you don’t love you. So, that was just something to go by,” the running back added.

It’s one thing to say you moved on. It’s another to actually do it.

Based on what Demercado did in Arizona’s primetime win in Dallas, the running back has turned the page.

Totaling 79 yards on 14 carries, Demercado paced a very efficient Cardinals run game that averaged 4.1 yards per carry.

But it was his heads-up play late in the game that really had his teammates and coaches talking.

With 4:25 left to play, Demercado had a real chance to go the distance 43 yards out on second-and-4.

Instead of turning on the jets to try and score, which was his first thought, Demercado instead picked up the first down and slid inbounds to keep the clock ticking. It also forced Dallas to burn another timeout late.

Cardinals RB Emari Demercado got A LOT of grief for dropping the football short of the end zone a few weeks ago.

This week, he’s getting A LOT of praise for sliding in bounds and keeping both the clock running and Cardinals offense on the field late in their MNF win. pic.twitter.com/Uys85Y4sJL

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) November 5, 2025

“He made a tremendous play on that. … That’s something you don’t necessarily coach,” Cardinals wide recevier Marvin Harrison Jr. said Wednesday. “As a player, you just have to have the wherewithal to be able to make a winning play like that.”

“That’s a win. Regardless of the outcome of the game, you got to look at that as a win,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett added. “I remember talking to (offensive coordinator Drew Petzing) on the plane like, ‘How about Emari going down inbounds?’ We all thought he was going to score. … I remember watching that in the middle of the game like, ‘Dang, that’s big time right there.'”

It wasn’t just that play or his rushing totals that stood out, though.

As he’s done in the past, Demercado helped keep Brissett upright thanks to his next-level pass protection that seemingly snuck up on Demercado early on in his NFL career.

“I really sucked at it in college and then I don’t know if (running backs coach Autry Denson) just kind of flipped the switch and it works now. It works really good.”

Related

Cardinals' Kyler Murray era speeding toward point of no returnCardinals GM expects Kyler Murray to get healthy this season. But will QB return as starter?Gannon, Ossenfort have finally caught wind in Cardinals' sailsEmari Demercado: 'There's really no excuse' for TD-erasing fumble in Titans lossJonathan Gannon calls sideline interaction with Emari Demercado 'a mistake'Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald a true GOAT amongst GOATs