The Kansas City Chiefs are entering an easier stretch of the regular-season schedule, at least on paper, with a trio of contests against struggling franchises. The New York Jets are up next with the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals in Weeks 10-11. And it turns out the latter is going to be hurting even more when visit Arrowhead Stadium.
Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain coming out of Week 8, and the team subsequently placed him on injured reserve. The move forces Love off the roster for the next four games, at least, while he heals, which limits Arizona's offense at the very moment they'll face the Chiefs.
Love was the premier running back in this season's draft class, which is why the Cards grabbed him so early in the first round, at No. 3 overall. Love won the Doak Walker Award in '25 after racking up 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground for Notre Dame. So far with the Cardinals, however, injury concerns have kept him from truly breaking out after an ankle injury also surfaced in the preseason. So far on the season, he has 76 carries for 268 rushing yards and 1 touchdown.
Where do the Cardinals turn without Love?
But Love isn't the only injury the Cardinals are dealing with in the backfield. Bam Knight, the team's RB3, was hit in the helmet by Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and also left the team's surprising win over Dallas in Week 8. Veteran James Conner remains on injured reserve as well, stemming from a foot injury suffered early in 2025.
It's possible that Conner is able to return by the time the Chiefs host the Cardinals in three more weeks. A lot can change, for better or worse, in that time, but Tyler Allgeier's strong performance against Dallas is the unit's saving grace right now. And it's clear he's the lead back going forward until Conner and/or Love are feeling healthy enough to take the field again.
Allgeier has 323 total rushing yards on the season on 72 carries, with 451 yards from scrimmage through 8 games. But 191 of those came against the Cowboys last week, a stunning display that no one expected given his previous usage and effectiveness in Mike LaFleur's offense. He'll have ever opportunity to anchor the ground game going forward for Arizona as they sort out the depth chart behind him in the wake of so many injury concerns.
As for the Chiefs, they'll try to take care of business against the Jets and Falcons first before turning their attention to the Cardinals. But Love's dynamism has already been taken off the table ahead of time. That's a plus for a Chiefs defense that has one less thing to worry about and a loss for fans hoping to see the NFL's newest running back sensation.
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