Kliff Kingsbury believes Kenyan Drake can carry Cardinals forward

Count Kliff Kingsbury as a firm believer in fourth-year running back Kenyan Drake.

Kingsbury vouched for the former Alabama back during his media Zoom call on Friday, saying Drake has what it takes to carry the load for the Cardinals’ offense.

“We really feel like Kenyan gets stronger as the game goes on,” Kingsbury said. “He’s been great at closing out games, having some tough runs late. We want to play with tempo and have that effect on teams where if we do have the ball late and need to close it out we can do that.”

Drake has been clutch in the backfield in two games, carrying the ball 36 times for 146 yards and a touchdown this season.

He gained 86 yards on 20 carries in Arizona’s 30-15 victory over the Washington Football Team last Sunday.

Kingsbury believes Drake’s production will only increase as he gets his legs underneath him, getting into a rhythm alongside quarterback Kyler Murray.

“Obviously, we’d like to have some bigger runs in the run game early,” Kingsbury said. “But it’s worked out the last couple of weeks that he’s had the ball in his hands late and has done a great job of putting those games away.”

Drake’s productivity in the backfield has propelled the Cardinals’ to the fifth-best rushing offense in the NFL, with the team averaging 170 yards per game.

He’ll be asked to carry the load this Sunday, as the Cardinals look to move to 3-0 for the year against the winless Detroit Lions.

The Lions currently rank dead-last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, at 204 yards per game, which should bolster Drake’s final numbers.

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