Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love spent part of the week doing something a little unusual for an upcoming opponent: helping his new team size up a former teammate.
Love shared what he knows about Seahawks running back Jadarian Price, the back he lined up beside at Notre Dame, and he didn’t exactly leave much room for optimism if you’re trying to defend him.
“They’ve been asking me stuff like, What are some of his weaknesses? Stuff like that,” Love said, via Pro Football Talk.
“J doesn’t have many weaknesses. If you can get him you got to get him.
Once he gets the ball, he gets rolling. It’s hard to stop him.
He’s real fast. . . . You’ve got to get him early.
I think very highly of JD, so I don’t really know what to say. Got to get him.
Get him before he gets rolling.”
Love made it clear the matchup will feel different, even with the friendship still intact off the field.
“It will be a little different,” Love continued. “I played with JD for three years at Notre Dame.
He was my teammate. He’s not going to be my teammate this upcoming game.
He’s still my brother at the end of the day, but we’re preparing to go to war, so it’s going to be him against my D and my offense against his D. I’m excited to see him.
I haven’t talked to him in a minute. It will be good to compete against him and then after the game, talk to him and see how he’s doing.”
Asked whether he’d side with his current team or Price, Love didn’t hesitate.
“This is the place where I’m at, these are the people I’m with right now, that I’ve been building bonds with,” Love noted when asked if he would choose his team over Price. “Me and JD have a bond off the field.
Not on the field because we’re playing against each other. I would take my team over JD because it’s my team.
I’m with the Cardinals, he’s with the Seahawks.”
Elsewhere in the NFC, Rams head coach Sean McVay said OLB Josaiah Stewart is in line for a bigger role while OLB Myles Garrett is out, and he sounded encouraged by what he’s seen from the young defender.
“ I’ve seen consistent growth,” McVay said, via Rams Wire. “ I thought he did a lot of good things the other day.
I think he’s a complete player that can really be a positive contributor in both phases, defending the run, rushing the passer. He’ll be asked to step up, as will everybody in that group.
Josaiah Stewart ‘s a guy I have a lot of confidence in. Going into Year 2, very tough and physical in both phases.
He’s got a savvy - he’s got a great feel for the game. Plays sturdy against the run, he’s got some rush creativity as a pass rusher.
And great instincts, so looking forward to seeing him. ”
McVay also said Garrett’s surgery went well, though he stopped short of giving a timetable for the pass rusher’s return: “We’ll keep you posted as we have updates on it.” (Thiry)
There’s also uncertainty around Aaron Donald, whom McVay said the Rams will evaluate before deciding whether he plays Monday. (Barshop)
And Puka Nacua is another situation to watch. McVay said the receiver had “some soreness” in his groin after Thursday’s practice and will be a game-time decision on Monday. (Schefter)
The Rams also had a pair of fines handed down: LB Nate Landman was docked $11,111 for unnecessary roughness, and DT Tyler Davis was fined $6,225 for a hit on a quarterback.
In Seattle, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t have a firm answer when asked when Sam Darnold might be back from a glute injury, but he did offer a sense that the quarterback is moving in the right direction.
“He’s on his way back,” Macdonald said, via Pro Football Talk. “Is it next week?
Is it the week after, the week after that? I’m not sure.
I’m optimistic, put it that way.”
In Other News...
Cardinals Offense Is Raising A Frustrating Question Fans Already Feel
Two games into the season, the offense has left the kind of uneasy feeling that usually only comes when a rosters talent level and its production are miles apart. The yardage has been light, the numbers around Jeremiyah Love, Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride have been underwhelming, and the broader concern is less about one bad day than about a unit that has not looked nearly as dangerous as it should.
For Cardinals fans, the frustration comes from how familiar this can feel when the attack stalls early and the team starts sounding like it is revisiting some of the franchises lowest offensive stretches. The bigger question is no longer whether the talent is there. It is whether this group is being used in a way that actually lets that talent show up on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Already Face An Uncomfortable Truth About Their Young Offense
The Cardinals are only two games into the season, but the early shape of their offense already looks like something worth watching closely. After a loss to the Seahawks left Arizona at 1-1, the groups young skill players have not yet settled into the kind of rhythm that usually helps a team find its footing. Rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has seen limited targets and receptions, while the backfield has been split between Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson rather than leaning on one runner to carry the load.
Mike LaFleur has already pointed to offensive execution as a key area that needs to improve, and that matters because the Cardinals do not appear interested in forcing a bellcow approach at running back. For a team trying to build consistency around younger pieces, that creates a familiar early-season tension: there is enough talent to believe the offense can grow, but not enough evidence yet that the parts are connecting in the way Arizona needs. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Leave Arizona With An Injury Scare That Changed Fast
The Seahawks left Arizona with a couple of late-week health questions hanging over their offense, but one of the more worrying ones appears to have settled down quickly. Mike Macdonald said Jadarian Prices injury is to the shoulder, not the chest, and it does not seem serious, easing some of the concern after the scare in Arizona.
There is still a bigger quarterback angle to watch as the week moves on. Seattle said Sam Darnold has a chance to play after dealing with a soft-tissue glute injury, which would give the team another option after Drew Lock started the previous game and threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns. [Read more 🡒]