How about some stress-free football to calm your nerves?
The first quarter may have caused some panic among Detroit Lions fans, but the second quarter was a dominant performance from the road team. The Arizona Cardinals, conversely, started hot but ended up being stifled by a previously leaky Lions defense. The Lions now enter their bye week with a 3-2 record.
There is optimism that Detroit has what it takes to be a playoff threat, but there is still a long way to go. On the one hand, the offense needs to continue to produce impressive performances like these. In addition, the defense must prove that this exit was not one-off. If they can get some reinforcements during the bye week and correct some oversights on both sides of the ball, the Lions could go into their matchup with the Green Bay Packers on a high note.
Which players emerged winners or losers from Sunday’s defeat?
Note: The label “loser” is used to evaluate and contrast in-game performance and is not an accusation of a player’s abilities, worth, or character. The term is not meant to be disrespectful.
It was a week of revenge for Petzing against his former team. Things started slowly (three straight three-and-outs) and after a scoreless first quarter, there was a slight sense of panic. However, Petzing was able to lock down his offense and put together some dominant drives. In the second quarter alone, the offense scored 24 points! The final drive of the half featured this little trickery:
The Lions’ offense is much more talented than the Cardinals’ defense, so the Lions were expected to deliver a beating, but that’s never a given in the NFL. The offensive personnel was very similar in 2025, but poor playmaking decisions caused it to fail too often. With Petzing at the helm, the offense dominates its opponents with its talent And play the game.
I think it’s time to pay this man. Although the status of his contract is still up in the air, his impact on the field is anything but. Early on, when the offense was disjointed and sputtering, it was LaPorta’s key grabs that kept the Lions’ offense moving forward.
His first came on a fourth-and-3 at a pivotal moment in the game, with the offense having gone three-and-out on the previous three drives. This drive ended with a touchdown: Detroit had life. On the ensuing drive, LaPorta had a man miss on a short catch on third-and-12, bulldozing his way to an 11-yard gain (although upon review, it certainly looked like he had made the first one — the league disagreed). LaPorta put that questionable spot in the rearview mirror by turning the fourth down attempt into an easy 38-yard touchdown.
From that point on, everything went Detroit’s way, en route to 45 points scored on offense. LaPorta finished the day as the Lions’ leading receiver with 88 yards on five catches. Reliability is at the forefront of LaPorta’s game. When things look bleak, Jared Goff and Drew Petzing can look to LaPorta for a spark.
The Lions found themselves in a dire security situation early in the season, but they might have some solutions. On the one hand, Brian Branch could return before long, perhaps to the tune of a post-bye game against the Green Bay Packers. However, the Lions also had some success with rookie Keith Abney playing deep safety.
With injuries to Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper, the Lions had previously relied on Chuck Clark for that role. While Clark has intangibles for the position, he simply lacked the athleticism: the Lions need their deep safety to be a roving missile, and Clark is not that. This week it was Abney who focused on safety, and he was largely impressive.
Abney impressed in both run defense and pass coverage, recording six tackles while allowing just 25 yards on his targeted routes. He also threw the first interception of his career on a Hail Mary before halftime, a play in which he looked like a true center and picked off the floating pass. However, perhaps the best part of his game was the lack of obvious mistakes. The rookie rarely looked out of place. He didn’t make many reading errors. He communicated and coordinated well with the other defensive backs, avoiding the crucial big plays that had plagued the defense.
Unless Kerby Joseph returns to the lineup, I think the Lions need to roll with Abney at safety until proven otherwise. This is important because…
I credited Clark’s intangibles in the previous section, but they were seriously lacking against Arizona. While Abney was solid in his assignments, one of the Cardinals’ big plays came at the expense of Clark.
On one play, Clark mistakenly fell on a catch like Elijah Higgins, leading to a massive 38-yard gain. He was clearly frustrated afterward, jumping up and down as if there was a miscommunication. Maybe so, but given the way the other defensive backs played, I’d bet Clark misread the situation. Later in the third quarter, Clark again made a shallow read and gave up an easy touchdown to Teagan Quitoriano.
With Branch set to return shortly and Abney playing well at free safety, I see no reason to move Clark forward.
It feels like we don’t appreciate how great Goff has been to start the season. In five games, he has over 1,400 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and no interceptions. However, statistics alone do not give the complete picture. The Lions’ offense has been up and down to start the season, but Goff has rarely been responsible for mistakes. Untimely turnovers have hurt him in the past, but so far in 2026 he’s been perfect at avoiding them (aside from that weird non-fumble against the New Orleans Saints).
I think “stable” is the best qualifier for Goff. He won’t impress people with his legs (even if he sneaked in for a touchdown today). It will not fire howitzers downrange (although it can still deliver depth shots). However, he is reliable and facilitates the success of the players around him. Players like Sam LaPorta or Amon-Ra St. Brown are talented players in their own right, but Goff also brings out the best in them. The same can be said with Drew Petzing as offensive coordinator: Goff is a coordinator’s best friend because you can build a plan around him and he can and will execute it.
Goff may not be an interesting MVP candidate unless he puts up gaudy numbers, but his value in this offense is beyond doubt.
As good as the offense was after the first quarter, Scruggs trailed for most of the afternoon. Scruggs was neither impressive in pass protection nor run blocking. Early in the game, Scruggs was beaten by Roy Lopez for a sack. The Cardinals also recorded a sack via a Budda Baker blitz over the middle, and while Scruggs wasn’t the only one responsible, he did little to hamper the blitzers. Despite Jahmyr Gibbs’ impressive day on the field, that success rarely came behind Scruggs. Lopez in particular gave the offensive line some fits.
With Cade Mays set to return after the bye, it appears Scruggs will be relegated to a reserve role. Although it was a disappointing performance, he nevertheless fulfilled his role admirably to start the season.
Winner: Jameson Williams, WR
Williams quietly needed a play like this. He hadn’t had a touchdown before this week, and even though he had a 100-yard performance against the Carolina Panthers last week, he lacked consistency – it was a real boom or bust for Williams. Drops had been a problem for Williams, arguably the biggest flaw that kept him from being a truly elite receiver.
Not only were the hands strong against the Cardinals, but he got into the end zone on multiple occasions. One of those catches was his usual repertoire, a deep 39-yard shot in which he simply outran defenders for an easy catch. The other, meanwhile, was a short 8-yard pass from Goff. It’s nice to see him get to the end zone without relying on deep passes or assists: he has the talent to be a complete receiver.
Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Another electric game from Gibbs, totaling 151 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. The only reason he doesn’t get a bigger section is because it’s now the norm for him: he’s that GOOD. As a side note, he had some impressive reps in pass protection against Arizona.
Winner: Kelvin Sheppard, DC
Was the defense really a game-changer, or was it a byproduct of playing against a horrible Cardinals team? Sheppard deserves some credit for changing personnel (Abney at safety) and scheme (more man coverage), but he’s not out of the woods yet. I have to see this against more competent offenses.
Winner: DJ Wonnum, DE
Wonnum got two bags of very different styles. His first was a pure cover sack, but he should be commended for sticking to his mission. As for his second sack, it flew over the left tackle and brought down Jacoby Brissett in the blink of an eye. He looks good opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
Loser: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
As a receiver, he was always impactful (69 yards on six catches), but two fumbles almost ruined his day. The first came on a long punt return after Tom Kennedy left the game, while the second came on a reception that resulted in an eight-yard loss.
Winners: DJ Reed and Roger McCreary, CB
The starting corners looked much improved against the Cardinals. They were sticky in their coverage and, more importantly, they made plays when the ball was thrown to them. McCreary alone accounted for six passes defensed. Just like with Sheppard, I need to see him against better attacks, but this was promising.
Loser: Blake Miller, RT
It was a good day as a pass protector for Miller, but committing two penalties (false start on fourth-and-2 and ineligible man downfield on a 16-yard St. Brown catch) is less than ideal.
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