Arizona Cardinals Rule Out Running Back

The Arizona Cardinals are all but waving the white flag after a disastrous 2022 regular season. The team officially declared running back James Conner out for their Week 18 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals will also sit wide receiver Deandre Hopkins and quarterback Colt McCoy. All in all, the Cardinals will be without their top three leading passers, their top rusher, and their leading receiver. They're currently 14-point underdogs to the 49ers.

At 4-12, the Cardinals are clearly running on fumes as they approach the finish line of the season. It's been a nightmare 16 games so far: quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL that could cost him the opening of the 2023 season, and the team ranks dead last in net yards per passing attempt. 

After finishing last year 11-6, the Cardinals had every reasonable expectation they could build a sustainable contender for years to come. Now, this season's failures may even linger into the next. Barring a miraculous draft or a frugal but radically successful free agency period, the Cardinals have few reasons for optimism in 2023.
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