Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love unsure about Week 1 status after ankle injury

GLENDALE – Jeremiyah Love does not appear interested in letting an ankle injury keep him from his NFL debut. The Cardinals’ first-round pick made his mindset clear Thursday. If Arizona wants him on the field Sunday against the Chargers, he intends to play, whether his ankle feels 100% or even 50%. That attitude is exactly what Cardinals fans want to hear from their newest star running back.

Will Jeremiyah Love be playing Week 1 for the Cardinals?

Does Jeremiyah Love expect to play this week?

“I’m gonna fight my hardest to be out there every single game, every single play this season.”

The Cardinals rookie added his Week 1 status ultimately comes down to the coaching staff. pic.twitter.com/jW9a2KHswc

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 10, 2026

But it also creates a difficult decision for Arizona. Love was limited in practice for the second consecutive day, leaving his status against Los Angeles uncertain. Even if he is cleared, the bigger question may not be whether Love plays. It could be how much he plays.

Jeremiyah Love (ankle) on his Week 1 status, via @BoBrack:

“I expect to do whatever the coaches want me to do. If they want to put me out there, I’m going to go out there and play. Whether my ankle feels 100%, 50%, 70% — I just want to play football.”
pic.twitter.com/2tnnSk4Bss

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 10, 2026

Arizona has spent months building anticipation around Love, who was selected third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft to become a major piece of the franchise’s future. Fans finally want to see what the explosive running back can do against an NFL defense. At the same time, Week 1 represents one game in a much larger investment.

A limited workload could allow Love to experience his first regular-season action without asking his injured ankle to handle a full workload. It would also give the Cardinals valuable information about how he responds to NFL contact before increasing his role. Love’s willingness to play is encouraging. But the final decision belongs to the coaching and medical staffs. For Cardinals fans, that makes Sunday’s biggest question surprisingly simple: Will Jeremiah Love play? If he does, how much will Arizona actually let its new star run? That answer could be more important than his first box score.

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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen