Chris Johnson might not be CJ2K anymore, but he sure looks better than the rusted unicycle we saw the past couple seasons.
Johnson carried 22 times for 110 yards, two touchdowns and caught one pass for 40 yards in the Arizona Cardinals' 47-7 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. It was just the fourth 100-yard performance in Johnson's last 37 games -- his previous being Week 13, 2014.
C.J. carried the load with Andre Ellington sidelined and rookie David Johnson being brought along slowly. Coach Bruce Arians praised Chris Johnson's current explosiveness and said he'll continue to touch the ball even when Ellington returns.
"He kinda fits our system real well," Arians told Sirius XM NFL Radio on Tuesday. "He's now getting in football shape. When we got him, he wasn't in great football shape and he pulled a hamstring early in camp. He's now getting in football shape and he has his explosiveness. We're not going to wear him out. He's still going to be a 15-20 touch guy. Even when Andre Ellington comes back, hopefully this week we'll have all three guys. Now that David Johnson has emerged, we don't have to just pound one guy all the time."
We'd expect those touches will be minimized as the dynamic rookie earns more playing time, but it's clear Arians plans to share the wealth in his backfield -- the coach has often been overzealous with his touch-per-game predications in the past.
When watching the 2015 version of Chris Johnson it's evident he's playing with a passion and fire we haven't seen in years. Whether the offseason gunshot scare or playing under the highly motivational Arians is the reason, one of the more surprising stories through three weeks is how much more determined a runner and blocker Johnson looks from when last we saw him.
