What to Expect from Cardinals Backfield with Andre Ellington out in Week 14

The Arizona Cardinals’ season outlook took another hit Friday as the team ruled out running back Andre Ellington (hip) for their Week 14 home matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

After defeating the Detroit Lions in Week 11, the 9-1 Cardinals led the NFC West by three games and had a two-game advantage in the conference.

However, a two-game losing streak has narrowed their divisional lead to one game over the defending Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks, while the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles now share identical 9-3 records.

Head coach Bruce Arians announced Stepfan Taylor, a second-year player from Stanford, will start in place of Ellington, according to the Cardinals' official Twitter account.

Thus, the Cardinals will be relying on a running back making his first career start, and with 61 career carries—including 25 this season—to help their ground game which ranks 31st in the NFL.

Though Ellington has averaged only 3.3 yards per carry and 55 yards per game on the ground, the Cardinals are losing one of the top receiving backs in the NFL—he ranks among league leaders in targets (64, tied for third), receptions (46, fourth) and receiving yards (395, fourth) by running backs.

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Over the Cardinals' last four games, however, Ellington has struggled to the tune of 101 rushing yards on 52 carries (1.9 yards per carry) and 82 yards on 14 receptions, after starting the season averaging 3.8 yards per carry and turning 32 catches into 313 yards (9.8 yards per reception) over the Cardinals' first eight games.

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Ellington’s hip-pointer injury is “severe,” according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. Of note, the same injury kept Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard sidelined for three games.

In addition to naming Taylor the starting running back, the Cardinals promoted Kerwynn Williams from their practice squad and released Michael Bush, who was just signed last week, according to Darren Urban, beat reporter for the Cardinals' official site.

Urban expects the Cardinals to use a committee approach against the Chiefs, which likely means using Taylor as the between the tackles runner and sixth-round rookie Marion Grice as a pass-catching specialist and change-of-pace back. 

The Chiefs have the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense and ninth-ranked total defense, but they have been vulnerable against the run, allowing 136.4 rushing yards per game. They have allowed opponents to rush for a combined 597 yards over the last three games and have allowed 100 rushing yards or more in five straight. 

Grice played a season-high 33 snaps last week following the Ellington injury but ran only five times while adding three catches for 24 yards.

He combined for 91 receptions at Arizona State from 2012-13, and Bleacher Report’s Ryan Lownes wrote “his ability to catch the ball set him apart from others in [his draft class].” 

Taylor, meanwhile, was Stanford’s bell-cow back from 2010-12, averaging 5.1 yards per carry with 38 rushing touchdowns over that three-year span in a power-running offense. Bleacher Report’s B.J. Kissel noted his vision, low center of gravity and patience as strengths in his pre-draft scouting report.  

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However, Arizona lacks the personnel to utilize Taylor as effectively as Stanford did, as a one-cut runner who hit the hole with power behind a dominant offensive line. He is unlikely to run with the same success behind a struggling run-blocking offensive line.

Pro Football Focus has graded (subscription required) the Cardinals' run-blocking unit 26th in the league to date. Jared Veldheer has ranked among the top 10 in run-blocking among left tackles, according to PFF, but he is questionable to play due to a sprained ankle. While PFF lists Bobby Massie among the top 10 run-blocking right tackles this season, left guard Ted Larsen and right guard Paul Fanaika—out this Sunday, so Jonathan Cooper will make his first career start—have struggled and center Lyle Sendlein has graded as the second-worst run-blocking center in the NFL this season.

Both Taylor and Grice have NFL-reserve type skill sets, so while the Cardinals have properly planned to utilize the strengths of both players, it is difficult to envision the running game finding success this week despite a favorable matchup against the Chiefs.