It took just one game for the No. 3 overall pick to go down with a significant injury, as rookie running back Jeremiyah Love suffered a high ankle sprain in the Arizona Cardinals' preseason game against the Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 13. High ankle sprains are one of the last injuries a fan wants to see for a running back. They can take weeks to fully heal — Grade 1 sprains typically take around one to two weeks, Grade 2 sprains four to six weeks, and some Grade 3 sprains can take over six weeks.
With Love's injury occurring almost exactly one month before the regular season kicks off, it's easy to see why Cardinals fans are worried. After missing all of last week's practices, Arizona's head coach Mike LaFleur made clear Monday that Love will miss this week's practices as well. "He will not be on the field doing any sort of practice or anything like that right now," LaFleur said.
More news: Browns Coach Reveals Shedeur Sanders’ Reaction to Losing Starting Job Love sitting out the remaining preseason games was already an easy assumption — he was drafted to be a bell-cow back and is expected to be a key focal point of the offense this season. But not practicing at all with just over two weeks until the regular season is certainly a cause for concern. Love is coming off a dominant final season at Notre Dame, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries — averaging 6.9 yards per carry — along with 280 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
He won the Doak Walker Award, was a consensus All-American, and was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a result. He showed why immediately: in the Raiders game, he carried the ball 11 times for 58 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and added three catches for 14 yards. He entered the draft drawing comparisons to Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs, and after his preseason debut, some fans were already likening him to future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson.
Saying the Cardinals need him to stay healthy would be an understatement. More news: Steelers HC Mike McCarthy Breaks Silence on Joey Porter Jr’s Contract Drama More news: 2026 NFL Award Predictions: MVP, OPOY, DPOY and Every Major Honor Right now, it's not time to panic. Arizona opens the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Chargers, giving Love close to three weeks to get back to practice and ramp up his workload.
That should theoretically be enough time, but given how much he means to the offense — and how serious high ankle sprains can be — the team may prefer a cautious approach and hold him out longer. More updates should come in the days ahead.
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