A humbling start to Jeremiyah Love’s career with the Arizona Cardinals

Jeremiyah Love has had a quiet start to his professional career, something that has surprised and humbled him. Used to “exploding” every week, Love says he is trying to adapt to the situation and build the confidence needed to get back to his expected form.

As NFL reporting notes, Love was the third overall pick in the 2026 draft and, at just 21, has collected 70 yards on 20 carries in his first two games — an average of 3.5 yards per attempt — along with five receptions for 25 yards. In college at Notre Dame, he was an All-American and averaged 6.9 yards per attempt over his final two seasons; in his last year he topped 95 scrimmage yards in nine of 12 games and scored 21 touchdowns.

An ankle injury affected much of his preseason, and he is currently splitting the backfield workload with Tyler Allgeier, taking 41.6 percent of Arizona’s offensive snaps. Across his first two games he has also faced the tough Seattle Seahawks defense.

Love’s next test comes against division rivals the San Francisco 49ers. The visitors are dealing with defensive issues due to injuries, most notably the loss of Nick Bosa for several weeks to a calf injury suffered during warm-ups in Thursday’s training session.

Love sees the matchup as an opportunity to rediscover his rhythm, citing Christian McCaffrey as his model: “I hope to have the same impact for my team. I want to do the things he does, but also add my own personal touch,” he said.

With time and more snaps, his numbers are expected to improve; NFL notes that his slow start is partly the result of the preseason injury and the shared backfield duties — but expectations remain high for the young back looking to get back to his usual rhythm.