James Conner is the answer for Cardinals early offensive woes

Why Conner is needed to solve the Cardinals offense:

Under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, Arizona has been a top five rushing attack in the NFL and top two in yards per carry. However, the offense has failed to record a 100-yard rushing game in back-to-back games, which is the first time ever since Petzing has taken over.

There’s a couple of reasons for the struggles. The offensive line has taken a dip compared to previous years. Missed assignments, penalties and sloppy play has hindered the run game to meet the heights the last two years. Despite the offensive line, the main reason has to be Conner not receiving enough touches.

The magic number in carries is 30. In 13 games the past two seasons, the Cardinals have averaged 183.2 yards when they surpass 30 carries. In those games, Arizona averaged 5.4 yards per carry, which would put them third in the NFL this year instead of 11th.

Giving Conner, or backup Trey Benson, more touches is the way to go. The Cardinals are a run-first offense and should get back into their roots to solve the slow start offensively. The 49ers just allowed 121 rushing yards to the Saints last week, including 99 yards to RB Alvin Kamara. Arizona should really try to ramp up the carries for Conner and Benson to get the rushing attack established early and often.