The news from Jonathan Gannon on Wednesday morning that running back Trey Benson was not going to be activated off Injured Reserve and was done for the season was not a surprise. Benson had had his practice window opened after his knee injury, was limited for a couple of days but did not look the part in the open portion of those workouts, and didn't practice again.

"Part of the game," Gannon said. "I know he's disappointed and we're disappointed."

Bigger picture, however, was the ultimate loss of the Cardinals' top two running backs for the vast majority of the season. James Conner went down in Week 3. Benson after the Week 4 game. Together, that 1-2 punch was supposed to be the backbone of a run-first offense, one that did it well the past two seasons.

In total, Conner and Benson ended up with 61 carries for 255 yards and one touchdown. The run game for the Cardinals has never gotten going consistently all season.

"That's a part of it, when you don't have James and Trey out there," Gannon said. "But it is a collective effort."

Conner has a long resume, but Benson will have missed exactly half of the 34 games in his two years with the Cardinals. Gannon was asked about the inability to see and evaluate Benson on the field.

"That (discussion) is for another time," Gannon said, saying he needed to focus on the Texans game this week. At running back, the Cardinals have Bam Knight and Michael Carter, with the hope Emari Demercado can finally get back from a bad ankle.

UPDATE: Benson posted a message on Instagram that read in part:

"These past couple months have been challenging me in ways I never expected. I worked and pushed through so much just to get back on the field. Every rep, every rehab session, every morning was me trying to write a different ending. ... I'm letting myself feel this but aine (sic) letting it stop me!"