Cardinals running back James Conner has been dealing with a knee issue for a while now. At times its sidelined him for practices and even limited him ability in games. If there is one thing the 29 year old could use, its rest.
So Arizona decided to play him in a meaningless game.
Going into Saturdays game against the Rams, the Cardinals had already been eliminated from the playoffs. They had nothing to gain from winning the game, and arguably a lot to from losing it. Despite that, and despite the fact that Conner has been hobbled all week, they decided to play their star running back. He managed just four carries before he was forced to leave the game and wouldn’t return.
Conner was later seen on the sideline on a stationary bike. He appeared to be okay and looks to have been able to avoid any further serious injury to his knee. However, the question is why was he in the game in the first place. Arizona was already without two of their starting offensive linemen, further increasing the chances of him getting put in a compromising situation. Arizona also just signed him to a new two-year extension last month.
The decision to play him in this game wasn’t just confusing, it was a clear and obvious mistake.
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Spenser Tilus is a sports reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @Spenser_Tilus
