The Arizona Cardinals will be without rookie running back Jeremiyah Love for Sunday’s Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach Mike LaFleur confirmed Friday that Love has been ruled out because of an ankle injury after the rookie missed practice throughout the week.
The Cardinals have been managing the injury for several weeks, and the decision to hold Love out gives him an opportunity to rest rather than continue playing through the issue.
Jeremiyah Love ruled out against Rams
Love’s ankle problem has lingered since he aggravated the injury during Arizona’s Week 4 matchup against the New York Giants. He attempted to play through it in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions but was limited to just 22 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Cardinals ultimately decided that another game was not worth the risk. Love did not practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, leading to Friday’s decision to officially rule him out.
Love has been an important part of Arizona’s offense during his rookie season. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft has rushed for 245 yards and one touchdown through five games while adding 11 receptions for 36 yards and another score.
His absence will force Arizona to turn elsewhere in the backfield against Los Angeles.
Cardinals don’t plan to place Love on IR
The encouraging part of Friday’s update is that the Cardinals are not currently discussing placing Love on injured reserve. LaFleur indicated that the team expects the rookie to return after getting additional time to recover.
Veteran Tyler Allgeier is expected to receive the majority of the work with Love unavailable, while Bam Knight should also see opportunities. The Cardinals could elevate Evan Hull from the practice squad to provide additional depth.
That means this appears to be more of a short-term precaution rather than an indication that Arizona expects Love to miss an extended portion of the season.
For now, the Cardinals will prioritize getting their highly drafted rookie healthy. Love will miss his first regular-season game Sunday, but the absence of any current IR discussion provides some optimism that he could be back in the lineup sooner rather than later.
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