NFL Player News

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday after injuring his right knee in Sunday's opener against the Saints.

General manager Steve Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Monday that Ellington said he "felt pretty good" and the team is optimistic his injury is not serious, per the team's official website.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said after Sunday's game if Ellington has to miss time, veteran Chris Johnson will take over as the starting running back and rookie David Johnson will assume the backup role.

The Cowboys played their first regular-season game Sunday against the Giants in the post-Demarco Murray era. While the run game had their moments, Dallas netted just 80 rushing yards and 3.5 yards per carry in the 27-26 win.

After much speculation, Joseph Randle started at running back for Dallas. He had only 39 rushing yards on nine attempts and one catch for 6 yards by halftime, but he was a key factor in the second half. Randle would finish with 65 rushing yards on 16 attemps and three catches for 42 yards.

Darren McFadden didn't get a lot of opportunities. He rushed for 16 yards on six carries and had one catch for 19 yards.

Lance Dunbar, however, was a major factor in the passing game. He led Dallas with 70 receiving yards on eight catches.

All in all, Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan seemed pleased with how the running backs played.

“I thought when we ran the ball it was efficient,” Linehan said, per NFL.com. “We’d like to pop a few long runs, but I didn’t think that our running game was a concern at all. There were some things that were there. It was just a weird game.”

The Cowboys lowest rushing total in 2014 was 92 yards on 25 carries. 

“We got the dirty yards we needed to win the game,” Randle said of Sunday's performance.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians seemed pleased with how running backs Chris Johnson and David Johnson responded after starter Andre Ellington left Sunday's season opener against the Saints with a knee injury.

Chris Johnson became the primary back after Ellington hurt his knee, rushing for 37 yards on 10 carries. David Johnson was more of a factor in the passing game, which included a 55-yard touchdown reception to cap the scoring late in the fourth quarter at 31-19.

“David did a heck of a job of hitting the jets and scoring,” Arians said, per ESPN.com. “It wasn’t designed to score. It was designed to get us a first down.”

If Ellington has to miss time, Arians appears to be comfortable with his current backfield situation.

“I thought Chris looked good,” Arians said. “He’ll get more touches and we will feel very confident if he is our lead dog, and then David has been backing him up.”

Quarterback Carson Palmer echoed Arians' sentiments.

“It doesn’t change a ton,” Palmer said. “They’re similar in a lot of ways, and a little bit different in their receiving ways just because Andre is so used to this offense and Chris hasn’t been in a system like this.”

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington got off to a fast start to the season Sunday against New Orleans. But a torn PCL could interrupt that season, at least temporarily.

He will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.

Ellington did lead the team with 12 carries for 69 yards before going down. He also scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and added a catch for seven yards.

Arizona plays at Chicago in Week 2, but it appears unlikely that Ellington will participate.

Broncos running back C.J. Anderson said he suffered a sprained toe during his team's Week 1 win over the Ravens.

Anderson was limited to 29 yards on 12 rushes in the victory. Denver will face the Chiefs Week 2.

Lions running back Ameer Abdullah enjoyed a fine season opener on Sunday against the Chargers. Abdullah was 4 for 4 in pass attempts for a total of 44 yards.

He also had seven carries and rushed for 50 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown run to kick off the scoring in the first quarter in the 33-28 loss.

The Lions will take on the Vikings in Minnesota for Week 2 action.

The big game many expected from Broncos featured back C.J. Anderson on Sunday did not come to fruition. In fact, backfield mate Ronnie Hillman received as many carries and rushed for more yards.

Anderson had 12 rushes for just 29 yards in the defeat of Baltimore. He was targeted eight times in the passing game, however, and caught four for 19 yards.

It remains to be seen how much of the workload he shares Thursday night when Denver plays at Kansas City.

The Cowboys will start Darren McFadden at running back for their Week 1 matchup against the Giants on Sunday.

McFadden will be making his debut with Dallas after spending his first seven seasons with the Raiders.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington had to be helped off the field during Sunday's game against the Saints after sustaining a right knee injury, reports The Arizona Republic.

Ellington left the field on a cart and he did not return. After the game, coach Bruce Arians said Ellington suffered a PCL injury, reports Fox Sports 910. He will receive an MRI on Monday. 

Raiders running back Roy Helu is a healthy scratch for the season opener Sunday against Cincinnati. His inactive status comes as a bit of a surprise.

Helu signed a two-year contract with Oakland in the offseason after averaging a fine 5.4 yards per carry with Washington a year ago. But he fell behind both Latavius Murray and Taiwan Jones on the depth chart during the presesaon.