GLENDALE, ARIZ. — After the first quarter of Sunday’s game at State Farm Stadium, it looked like the Detroit Lions were going to have some tough conversations on both sides of the ball going into the bye week.
But the dam broke at the end of the first quarter.
The Lions scored 31 consecutive points and forced five straight three-and-outs for the Cardinals‘ offense en route to a no-frills, 45-21 win on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Detroit (3-2) trailed 7-0 after the first quarter but won the second quarter by a score of 24-0 and springboarded into the second half with wide receiver Jameson Williams’ second touchdown of the game to go up 31-7, a dagger against the one-win Cardinals (1-4).
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs looked supercharged in the final three quarters and finished with 151 rushing yards, 56 receiving yards, and two rushing touchdowns. Tight end Sam LaPorta led the Lions in receiving with 88 yards on five catches, including a 38-yard touchdown on a critical fourth-and-1 in the second quarter.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff was 19-for-30 for 271 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown had six catches for 69 yards, and Williams added two catches — both touchdowns — for 47 yards.
The Lions allowed a 14-play touchdown drive on the Cardinals’ opening series but didn’t allow Arizona another first down until the third quarter. The Cardinals finished with 327 net yards, the fewest Detroit’s defense has allowed this year.
The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead with 5:06 to go in the first quarter on a 14-play drive where it never felt like the Lions were poised for a stop, as Arizona went 73 yards in 14 plays to reach the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Teagan Quitoriano. It was Quitoriano’s first catch since October 2023. With 4:22 left in the third quarter, he caught his second touchdown pass, this time from 13 yards out.
The Lions held rookie sensation Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 pick in April’s NFL Draft, to 22 yards on 12 carries. Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett finished 29-for-47 passing for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception (Keith Abney II) on a throw downfield on the final play of the first half.
The much-maligned Detroit secondary gave up its fair share of completions but also made plays they simply haven’t through the first four weeks. Cornerback Roger McCreary had five pass breakups and edge defender DJ Wonnum had two sacks; linebacker Derrick Barnes added another sack and four players split a sack.
The Lions’ offense struggled to convert on third down (4-for-13) for most of the day but made up for it on fourth down (4-for-4 with three touchdowns).
The Lions got on the board when LaPorta converted on fourth down with a 12-yard reception. After Gibbs got Detroit to the Arizona 4-yard line with a 16-yard drive, he finished the job with a 1-yard touchdown run with 12:22 to go in the second, tying the game 7-7 with his sixth of the season.
The Lions went up by two scores, 21-7, after converting on fourth down for the third time. Williams left Baker in the dust on a crossing route in the end zone on fourth-and-4 and hauled in an 8-yard touchdown catch at 4:50 in the second quarter.
The Lions later added another fourth-down score to go up 38-14 with 1:05 left in the third quarter. After Gibbs was downed at the 1-yard line, Goff hiked the ball and extended it across the goal line for the score.
LaPorta, who’s seeking a new contract from Detroit, continued to prove his worth in the second quarter. He picked up 11 yards on third-and-12 from near midfield to bring it to fourth-and-1, then got wide open on the following play for a 38-yard touchdown catch to give the Lions their first lead, 14-7, with 9:30 to go in the half.
After forcing another three-and-out against the Cardinals offense, the Lions added another score with a 48-yard field goal from Bates to go up 24-7 at 0:53 in the second quarter.
The Cardinals nearly cut into Detroit’s lead after hitting a 38-yard pass to Elijah Higgins to begin the third quarter, but after a sack by Alim McNeill and Skyler Gill-Howard, Arizona settled for a 53-yard field-goal attempt from Chad Ryland (Eastern Michigan) that missed, wide right.
The Lions extended their lead to 31-7 on a 39-yard completion to Williams on third down, Williams’ second touchdown catch of the game. Williams got behind the defender and hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch to put a dagger into Arizona.
The Lions defense kept making plays to close out the game, as Hutchinson sacked Brissett on fourth down with 12:55 to go, ending a scoring threat that could have made it a three-score game.
Tight end Trey McBride made a circus catch on fourth down to add a 9-yard passing touchdown for the Cardinals, bringing the score to its final result of 45-21 with 2:11 remaining.
The Cardinals were arguably the Lions’ weakest opponent thus far, and the real test awaits Detroit after its bye week, when it hosts the Green Bay Packers (Week 7) and Minnesota Vikings (Week 8). But going into the break, the Lions finally have something to build on.
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions overcome quiet start to pummel Cardinals