Emari Demercado can't say exactly why he evolved into such a good pass protector, because, as he bluntly noted, "I sucked at it in college."

The running back knows what he has to do to be a success, though. When that guy is coming through, often outweighing Demercado by 30 or 40 pounds, Demercado knows he must hit his man head on. It's the only path to get through the play.

That mindset translates.

For Demercado, it also served him after the biggest mistake of his three-year career, dropping the ball just short of the goal line on what should have been a 72-yard touchdown run against the Titans, costing the Cardinals a touchdown in a game where the score would've salted a victory away.

Fans wanted Demercado to be released, lashing out in anger over social media. But the one-time undrafted rookie was on the roster for a reason. The Cardinals needed him. And that was emphasized again Monday in the win over the Cowboys, when Demercado rushed for a team-best 79 yards on only 14 carries and provided QB Jacoby Brissett with a number of key blocks that helped make the passing game go.

"I put who I am back on tape," the understated Demercado said. "You make one mistake and the whole world kind of flames you for it. (Monday was) to set the record straight."

Demercado, like he did postgame against the Titans, calmly spoke to the media this week answering all the questions again. The weeks since the Titans play have not been pleasant.

"He's been dealing with it way better than I would have," said fellow running back Trey Benson, who said Demercado is one of his best friends. "He never let it get to him. I probably would've deleted by Instagram. I'm proud of him."

The social component looms large for today's athlete. Mess up in a game, and the video will live forever. The team's fans will be upset. People rage about missed chances for their fantasy team or their parlay. Demercado turned off his notifications – "It's really peaceful," he said with a slight smile – but that didn't mean he didn't see the nastiness.

"People say a lot of ugly things," he said, adding "it got pretty bad. I won't sugarcoat it."

Demercado fell back on friends, like Benson, and family. He spent time with his girlfriend and his son. He leaned on the mentally hard times in college, when he wasn't carrying the ball at TCU and wondered what a football-less future would be like.

Technically, Demercado hadn't lost football. But it was easy to feel like the grip was slipping, especially within social media. Taking a step back meant everything.

"It helps you get back in touch with reality," Demercado said. "These are people you will never meet, hiding behind private accounts, saying whatever they want to. It doesn't matter. Someone told me, the ones that love you don't judge you, and the ones that judge you don't love you."

Following the fumble Demercado was confronted by coach Jonathan Gannon, who was understandably upset. Gannon was fined by the Cardinals for his reaction, and Gannon said at the time he had apologized to Demercado and the team for the moment.

Demercado said he and Gannon "chopped it up" soon after and are fine. There can be no tension between player and coach when both are fighting to win games, Demercado said. The two are good.

"He's resilient," Gannon said. "I didn't expect anything less. We all make mistakes. He's a good teammate and a good dude. I knew he'd bounce back."

And that's why it always sounded foolish that the Cardinals would do anything but continue to make Demercado a part of the offense. It's notable that, as wildly often NFL players have done the drop-the-ball-just-short-of-the-goalline play, teams don't get rid of those players for the mistake.

It's just a mistake.

"I can't expect myself to be perfect," Demercado said. "No one is. I had to let (the incident) go. That's not who I am. Everybody messes up. Unfortunately, mine was that.

"I've seen the replay. Bonehead play. You look at it, you shake your head. … I definitely thought I was in. But emotions, I let them get the best of me."

Flash forward to Dallas. Demercado, his team holding a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, broke loose off the left side gaining 19 yards. But the play moved him to the sideline, and Demercado slid before going out of bounds, keeping the clock running.

That was the kind of play he has been known for in his two-plus years in Arizona.

"I just think that just shows you what this league is and how you can't ride the wave of emotions," Brissett said. "You love to see that. I'm not that much older than him, but from a young player, you make a mistake and then when you get your opportunity again ... That's a win."

Gannon was one of the first ones to get excited about the play. And Demercado, on a national stage, showed to show who he was.

"I try to do the right thing all the time," he said. "To come back from that one mistake and do the right thing, it was a good feeling."