Glendale, Ariz. — Things couldn’t have started much worse for the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon in Arizona.
It finished considerably better for the Lions, who rattled off 31 consecutive points between the second and third quarters, coasting to a 45-21 victory over the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
You couldn’t have reasonably predicted the result after one quarter. Detroit’s offense continued its trend of slow starts, going three-and-out each of their first three series, while the struggling defense allowed the Cardinals to drive the length of the field for a touchdown their first possession.
By the end of the first frame, the Lions (3-2) had negative yardage, zero first downs and faced a seven-point deficit.
But something clicked for Detroit’s defense after allowing the early touchdown. They locked Arizona (1-4) up for the remainder of the first half, forcing five consecutive three-and-outs, matching their season total through the first four games.
Meanwhile, the Lions’ offense found its footing via some fourth-down conversions, including two that resulted in touchdowns during a 24-point second quarter.
Detroit extended its lead early in the third quarter with a long touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Jameson Williams and added a second touchdown on a Goff QB sneak before the end of the quarter to take an insurmountable 24-point lead into the fourth.
Scoring summary
First quarter
● 5:06 — An ugly start for the Lions. After the offense went three-and-out to open the contest, the Cardinals methodically drove 73 yards on 14 plays for a touchdown.
Arizona converted a pair of third downs with in-breaking routes against man coverage, before successfully executing a trick play on fourth-and-1 in the red zone to set up first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. The snap saw receiver Michael Wilson take a reverse handoff and throw to quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who was wide open in the right flat.
On the next play, Brissett found tight end Teagan Quitoriano wide open in the back of the end zone out of play-action, besting the coverage of linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. CARDINALS 7, LIONS 0
Second quarter
● 12:22 — Still looking for their first first down of the contest, Detroit opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Arizona 47-yard line. With good protection, Goff threaded one to Sam LaPorta across the middle late for a tight-window, contested grab that got 15 yards tacked on after the defender hit the tight end in the head.
On the ensuing snap, Jahmyr Gibbs dragged most of Arizona’s defense for 16 yards and the back punched it across the goal line from a yard out two plays later. LIONS 7, CARDINALS 7
● 9:30 — Taking over just across midfield after a 31-yard punt return for Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions quickly found themselves facing third-and-12. They picked up most of it on a quick pass to LaPorta, who made a defender miss to gain 11.
Going for it on fourth down, Detroit faked a handoff to Gibbs as LaPorta came wide open for a 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put the Lions ahead. LIONS 14, CARDINALS 7
● 4:50 — Following a fourth consecutive stop by Detroit’s defense, the Lions quickly moved across midfield with a 23-yard screen to Gibbs, then into the red zone with an 18-yard Gibbs run.
On the cusp of stalling out, the Lions went for it on fourth-and-four where Goff found Williams on an over route for an 8-yard touchdown. LIONS 21, CARDINALS 7
● 0:53 — Back-to-back screen passes to St. Brown and Gibbs — including some misdirection trickeration on the latter — gained a combined 29 yards before Detroit’s drive stalled, leaving the offense to settle for a 46-yard Jake Bates field goal. LIONS 24, CARDINALS 7
Third quarter
● 9:42 — Following a missed field goal for the Cardinals, the Lions turned good field position into another touchdown. Goff completed all three of his throws on the short possession, punctuated by a 39-yard bomb dropped into a bucket for Williams in the end zone. LIONS 31, CARDINALS 7
● 4:22 — Moving swiftly, Brissett completed 7-of-7 for 65 yards on the 10-play drive, including five throws to tight ends. The veteran quarterback capped the series with a 13-yard touchdown to Quitoriano, his second of the game after having not caught a pass since the 2023 season. LIONS 31, CARDINALS 14
● 1:05 — Detroit’s offense kept its foot on the gas with an eight-play, 74-yard counterpunch. A 36-yard pass to St. Brown and 22-yard run for Gibbs set the Lions up with first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. However it took four tries and a Goff sneak to get it across the goal line for the score. LIONS 38, CARDINALS 14
Fourth quarter
● 5:03 — Gibbs started things with four straight runs for 36 yards, galloping through some wide lanes created by his blocking. The back finished things with another one of his field-reversing efforts, changing directions when he ran into trouble, scooting untouched around the right edge for a 3-yard touchdown. LIONS 45, CARDINALS 14
● 2:11 — Despite being smothered by linebacker Jack Campbell, Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was able to secure a 9-yard, fourth-and-goal fade into the end zone as he was falling out of bounds. LIONS 45, CARDINALS 21
Turnovers
● On the final play of the first half, Lions rookie Keith Abney, playing deep safety, undercut a deep shot intended for Wilson for the defender’s first career interception.
Key stats
● Goff completed 19-of-30 for 271 yards and three touchdowns, adding a fourth score on a 1-yard sneak. The quarterback also avoided an interception for a fifth straight game to open the season.
● Gibbs bounced back from a quiet outing against the Panthers, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with more than 200 yards from scrimmage.
● LaPorta paced the Lions with five grabs for 88 yards and a touchdown. Williams had only two catches, but both for touchdowns, marking the first multi-score game of his career.
● Detroit’s defense exploded for five sacks, 12 quarterback hits and eight pass breakups.
DJ Wonnum paced the pass rush with a pair of sacks, while cornerback Roger McCreary impressively broke up five throws. On the opposite side, DJ Reed broke up one pass and secured three tackles for a loss.
Injuries
● While defending a run late in the first quarter, linebacker Devin White collided with teammate Chuck Clark, suffering an arm injury.
● Returning a punt in the second quarter, Tom Kennedy got hit high and low by two defenders. The receiver’s cleat seemed to stick in the ground, causing his leg to contort at an awkward angle. He exited with what was labeled a knee injury.
Inactives
The Lions made the following players inactive for Sunday’s game: Guard Ben Bartch, safety Bishop Fitzgerald, defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein, tight end Jackson Meeks, defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.
Bartch (foot) and Ya-Sin (hamstring) were ruled out prior to the contest. The others were healthy scratches.
Next game
The Lions are on the bye next week, returning to action on Sunday, Oct. 25, when they host NFC North rival Green Bay at Ford Field.
Jamo had 2 in Santa Clara
Let’s gooooooooo !!!!!!!