Dan Bickley

azcentral sports

David Johnson has been many things in his first 22 games as a professional.

He’s twice been named NFL Player of the Week, once on offense, once for his work on special teams. He has been the Offensive Rookie of the Month. His jersey and cleats are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He scored three touchdowns on the first three touches of his career.

But entering a showcase game on Monday Night Football, Johnson was inexplicably missing one badge of honor: He had never been awarded a game ball.

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Hopefully that will change after a 28-3 victory against the Jets.

“That’s all (Larry Fitzgerald) was saying to me today,” said Johnson, giggling. “It’s not crazy at all. Last week, I had those mental-error breakdowns and the fumble didn’t help. I didn’t deserve it. It feels good because they expect me to have that kind of game.”

Johnson’s performance in Week 6 featured 111 yards rushing, three touchdowns and helping countless fantasy football players post staggering come-from-behind victories.

He single-handedly broke the Cardinals’ scoreless streak in the first quarter, busting out a dazzling 58-yard touchdown romp. It came against the league’s best rushing defense, a unit that had yielded an average of only 68.4 yards entering the game.

He scored two more touchdowns on the really tough yards near the goal line, twice bursting through the snarly interior of the Jets defensive line. He proved once again that the Cardinals offensive philosophy should be more “Feed the beast” and less “No risk-it, no biscuit.”

He posted his sixth consecutive game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage. He leads the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns. He is fast becoming the new face of the Cardinals.

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“I said it early: David is special,” Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “Very special.”

Yet Johnson’s rapid ascension as an NFL impact player has also been countered and fueled by tough love from Bruce Arians. The Cardinals head coach found reasons to be critical of Johnson’s performance after the previous two victories, pointing out his unseen failures to the media after wins over Tampa Bay and San Francisco.

Earlier in the week, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was asked if Johnson really leaves that many yards on the field or if Arians was just making sure to keep a star second-year player humble and grounded.

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“Probably a little bit of both,” Palmer said. “I think when a young guy has a lot of success, you’ve got to find ways to make sure he realizes how he got that success is from hard work. Especially with Dave. He works as hard as anybody. So, I’m sure it’s a little of that, and there are always yards left on the field with Bruce. There’s no doubt about that.”

As for Johnson’s performance on Monday?

“I thought he played extremely well,” Arians said. “I’ll grade the tape, but nothing glaring other than one missed blitz pickup.”

For most of this season, something has seemed off about these Cardinals, a team that has been searching for an identity. There does not seem to be the same cohesion or connectivity that marked the previous two seasons. The ragged start is proof that every year brings unexpected challenges, and nothing is given in the NFL.

Look at the last two Super Bowl losers. Seattle started the 2015 season with a 2-4 record, but rallied to earn a playoff berth. The Panthers are heading in the other direction, a 15-1 team in 2015 that has stumbled to a 1-5 start, complete with a quarterback who is still walking out on postgame press conferences.

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Johnson’s performance in Week 6 proves why he can be the savior in Arizona, maybe even plow his way into MVP consideration.

For the past two weeks, his legs have set the tone, making it easier for the team to throw the football. The Cardinals had a whopping time-of-possession advantage against the Jets (36:02 to 23:58); their defense remained fresh, flying around the field and tackling with vengeance; and by the end of the game, the offense seemed to find sustainable rhythm.

Johnson is young enough to handle the workload, big enough to sustain the physical punishment and he seems to shine when asked to carry the team on his shoulders.

“I would’ve had a game ball by now if not for the mental errors,” Johnson said. “But I like that they’re hard on me. It lets me know I still have stuff to strive for. It doesn’t let me get complacent. When they’re hard on me, I like it.”

Hey, whatever works. The Cardinals badly needed the fast start that Johnson provided. They badly needed a victory against the reeling Jets. They needed to stay within arm's reach of the Seahawks, a team that is off to a 4-1 start courtesy of some curious officiating in Seattle on Sunday.

When a pivotal missed penalty on Richard Sherman was shown on the big screen Monday night, the crowd began to boo. By the end of the night, they were in a much better mood. Thanks to the newest best player in red.

Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to “Bickley and Marotta,” weekdays from 12-2 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.