Chicago Bears must game plan for these 4 Arizona Cardinals
By Ryan Heckman
David Johnson
So far, David Johnson has 28 touches in two games. I would imagine that is a little low for an offense that featured him so much two years ago. In 2016, Johnson got a ridiculous 373 touches including 80 catches. Because the offense has been so bad, Johnson hasn’t had as many chances on the ground.
Make no mistake, though, Arizona wants to get him the ball. Per the Arizona Cardinals official website, head coach Steve Wilks had this to say earlier in the week:
"“We’ve got to utilize David from the standpoint of getting him out of the backfield, putting him in the slot, putting him out there to try and create that matchup that we need.”"
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It is clear Wilks wants to get creative when trying to utilize Johnson. With an offense that has been the worst in the NFL through two weeks, yet features one of the premier playmakers, Wilks certainly knows what he has to do.
Before missing the 2017 season due to injury, Johnson got into the end zone 20 times in 2016. He averaged one rushing touchdown per game and grabbed four receiving touchdowns. His goal has been to finish a season with 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. While that sounds almost crazy, he’s one of the few guys in the league capable of such a feat.
Like trying to contain Russell Wilson on Monday, the Bears’ primary focus in the back field is Johnson. They would be smart to keep a guy like Danny Trevathan, or even Smith, shadowing him all game long. Not allowing him to get into open space is priority number one for this defense.