The Arizona Cardinals' defense and kicker Chad Ryland were the stories of Sunday afternoon. But Bam Knight also made his mark.
Arizona's defense enjoyed a remarkable four quarters in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Rams, and Ryland could be in the running for Special Teams Player of the Week after going 6-for-6 on field goals. But that shouldn't overshadow what Bam Knight did while filling in for Jeremiyah Love.
Knight split carries with Tyler Allgeier, but he outplayed the seasoned veteran. Knight rushed for 80 yards on 15 carries, with a long of 31 yards. Meanwhile, Allgeier gained just 38 yards on 18 carries, averaging 2.1 yards per rush.
Take away Knight's 31-yard gain, and he still finished the game with 49 yards on 14 carries, good for 3.5 yards per attempt. While 3.5 is mediocre, it's still 1.4 yards per carry better than what Allgeier gave the Cardinals. That number showed that Knight was by far the more effective back.
It's a small sample size, since Knight saw limited playing time early. But one can make a case for him breaking into the number-two role moving forward.
So far, Allgeier hasn't impressed. He has 157 rushing yards on 53 carries, good for just a 3.0 average. He has scored one touchdown, notched a success rate of 39.6, and has just eight first downs this year.
Knight has 18 carries this season for 112 yards and four first downs. His success rate sits at 61.1 percent, and he's currently averaging 6.2 yards per rush.
Knight also has Allgeier's number in the passing game. Again, it's still a small sample size. But Knight's two catches on two targets for 18 yards and two first downs are promising. Allgeier has 13 catches on 14 targets, which looks great. But he has averaged just 4.2 yards per catch with 54 receiving yards, two first downs, and a 35.7 success rate.
Allgeier's success rate in the passing game is the lowest on the team, which is tied with Love. That also counts the recently traded Marvin Harrison Jr.
This doesn't mean Knight should supplant Allgeier after just one strong week. Nor should the Cardinals write off Allgeier as a swing and a miss. Instead, Knight has shown he deserves more of the work as the Arizona Cardinals could forge a sound running back committee when Love is ready to go again.
That could give the Cardinals' offense another reason to take a ball control approach . Something they leaned into in Sunday's win over the Rams when they ran 70 plays and gained 338 yards.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, for as long as he starts for the Cardinals , could focus more on the short passing game to weapons like Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. Kendrick Bourne, who put together a solid game on Sunday with five catches for 47 yards, could also be a factor.
This approach may lead to more efficiency from the Cardinals' offense. An offense that, even in Sunday's win, failed to score a single touchdown . Arizona has also struggled at times during the season when they had the ball. With Bam Knight's emergence, that could help turn the tide if the Cardinals capitalize.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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