Running back David Johnson's stat line did not jump off the page on Sunday afternoon.
He finished with 11 carries for 37 yards and caught six passes for 28 yards and a touchdown. However, the 3-yard score was a thing of beauty, and he came up big in some short-yardage situations.
Johnson was criticized pretty heavily after the Cardinals' Week 2 game in Baltimore, but Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.8 grade against the Panthers, the highest among fulltime players on offense.
Other tidbits from Week 3:
- Outside linebacker Chandler Jones had a big game, finishing with five tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus gave him an elite pass-rushing grade of 91.4, and his overall grade of 88.8 was the best on the team.
- The Cardinals' secondary struggled against Carolina backup quarterback Kyle Allen. Safety Budda Baker, cornerback Byron Murphy, cornerback Tramaine Brock and safety D.J. Swearinger were all given coverage grades under 55.0.
- Linebacker Haason Reddick graded out well, with his 79.1 mark the second-best on the team behind Jones. Reddick, who played every defensive snap, was particularly strong in coverage, earning an 86.9 grade.
- Quarterback Kyler Murray was given a 63.0 overall grade, which was sixth-best on the offense. His rushing grade of 75.4 was very good, as he routinely made plays with his legs.
- PFF thought there was a clear winner in the right tackle rotation. Justin Murray was given a 79.6 pass-blocking grade while Jordan Mills came in at 31.0. Murray's overall grade of 65.6 bested Mills' mark of 38.1.
