The already depleted Arizona Cardinals backfield reportedly took another hit on Tuesday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cardinals running back Emari Demercado suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s 41-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and is considered “unlikely” to play in Arizona’s Week 12 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Demercado’s injury is yet another blow to a Cardinals offense that lost starting running back James Conner for the entire season due to a foot injury in Week 3 that required surgery. Backup running back Trey Benson has also been on injured reserve since Week 4 due to a knee injury, leaving Arizona without its top two ball-carriers.
After playing sparingly over the first few weeks of the season, Demercado started to see his volume increase in recent games. He led the Cardinals with 14 carries for 79 yards in a 27-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9, and he had a team-high 64 rushing yards on just four carries the following week in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He registered five rushes for eight yards and two catches for 12 yards before exiting Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
In addition to their ailing running backs, the Cardinals have also been missing starting quarterback Kyler Murray, who was placed on IR earlier this month due to a foot injury. Some have speculated that Murray’s future in Arizona is in doubt following his latest setback.
Without Demercado, the Cardinals will rely on veteran ball-carriers Bam Knight and Michael Carter, neither of whom has been particularly effective this year. Still, Arizona will be motivated to end its two-game skid when it meets Jacksonville on Sunday.