The Arizona Cardinals lost their fourth straight game to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, 45-21.
Arizona has given up at least 31 points in its four losses, but Sunday’s total was the worst mark of the season thus far.
The Cardinals (1-4) held the Lions (3-2) to three straight three-and-outs with a total of -9 yards to start the game. Detroit then scored touchdowns on six of its next seven possessions and still managed three points on the one drive it held.
Reactions from Arizona Sports hosts after Cardinals’ loss to Lions
Vince Marotta, co-host of Bickley & Marotta:
There were very few positives for the Cardinals in their ugly 45-21 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Trey McBride continues to make highlight-reel catches and set close records. Yeah.
Teagan Quitoriano had two touchdowns. Cool story, bro.
Roy Lopez continues to play hard. Glory.
That’s about it. Everything else seems to be rock bottom for this team and we’re only five weeks into Mike LaFleur’s tenure as head coach. The passing game is boring. The running game is nonexistent because the offensive line can’t open holes. The Cardinals handed out $65 million in guaranteed money to the running back position last offseason and could have gotten the same production from Emari Demercado and Michael Carter.
Defense? This unit lives up to its expectations (and that’s not a good thing).
Big changes need to happen. (Nick Rallis/Justin Frye) shouldn’t have been brought back because (DC/O line coach) and his (defense/O line) didn’t give anyone any reason to think it was going to get better.
Monti Ossenfort managed to get a second-round pick from Houston for Marvin Harrison Jr. (nothing to celebrate about, btw), but he should by no means be the man calling that pick next April. Ossenfort orchestrated this reconstruction, which is now in its fourth year. This roster lacks elite NFL speed, playmaking ability, and depth across the board.
Carson Beck isn’t ready, but there’s really no need to keep Jacoby Brissett at QB every week either. Let Gardner Minshew earn some of the money he received in free agency until Beck is ready, then hand it to the rookie without looking back.
Yes, I’m blowing off steam immediately after ANOTHER miserable performance, but something tells me I won’t feel any different in the morning.
Dave Burns, co-host of Burns and Gambo:
A dismal performance that feels as familiar and routine as the traffic you sit in every morning. You get angry. You are resigned. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. We’ve driven this road so many times over the past year that we could practically drive it with our eyes closed.
The only difference this time was the new dynamic of the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade that briefly seemed to spark all facets of football for the Cardinals. The offense showed life and fluidity and moved the ball well in the first quarter. The defense was nasty and found itself facing Jared Goff. For a moment – a fleeting moment – it appeared that we had a little “addition by subtraction”. The moment was short-lived.
Seven straight possessions that ended in a score. Six of them were touchdowns. The Cards seemed to lose their will to compete about halfway through the third quarter. Jacoby Brissett threw for nearly 300 yards, but that came after the game was decided and meant nothing. The offense was a three-man factory after scoring the first touchdown. It’s week 5 and the morale of the supporters is at its lowest and the atmosphere is as blue as the color that has invaded the stadium. The clock is ticking for the quarterback, defensive coordinator and general manager, and we’re still three weeks away from Halloween.
Mitch Vareldzis, co-host of Night Sports in Arizona:
I’m sure the Arizona Cardinals have had many bad weekends, but this is certainly one of them.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told Wolf and Luke on Friday that Marvin Harrison Jr. is a “big part” of what they do. Turns out that wasn’t true.
The next day, multiple reports confirmed that Harrison Jr. would be traded… but we weren’t told where or for what in exchange. This has created a media circus that truly makes you question the role of insiders in sports media. But that’s a separate conversation…
And then today, where the Cardinals displayed their latest act of football incompetence.
I really wonder if this team knows how to operate beyond the opening script. The Cardinals led first 7-0 and didn’t score again until the Detroit Lions scored 31 straight points.
Where do you go from here if you’re a fan? Are you starting to dream about what they’ll do with that 2027 second-round pick? Singing for Carson Beck to begin with? Call for change from the technical staff? Want to create a new team?
I hate to sound overly dramatic, but instead of capitalizing on the frenzy created by their own leaked reports, the Cardinals fell flat under the Lions’ offense (which is coached by last year’s coordinator in case you forgot).
We’ll see if Mike LaFleur can get revenge on his former employer next Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Tyler Drake, Cardinals reporter and co-host of Cardinals’ corner:
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Cardinals say, “Hold my beer.”
Above the cloud of dust that was the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade news that engulfed the Cardinals this weekend before the wide receiver was ultimately shipped to Houston, Arizona turned in its worst performance of Mike LaFleur’s tenure in a lopsided loss to the Lions.
If that wasn’t enough, Drew Petzing had one last laugh about the franchise that canned him last year. Former Cardinal Joshua Dobbs finished the game at QB for the Lions due to the blowout nature of the game.
Ouch.
How Nick Rallis will have a job after this week is beyond me. Jacoby Brissett also isn’t expected to keep his starting role for long. The same feeling goes for Monti Ossenfort after the end of the season (if not before).
Nothing is going right for the franchise except Trey McBride being Trey McBride. He’s heading into another losing season where the questions far outweigh the answers.
Change is needed in many areas. At this rate, how quickly this happens and how quickly the results are achieved is a real unknown.
And if anything else, don’t let Carson Beck be the emergency quarterback in the future! He missed valuable reps this week due to his inactive status.
Gn sports
