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Game 1: Cardinals @ Lions Thread
- Thread starter grandy
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masterscorpio77
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I also think the pass protection from the O-Line was pretty good as well. Still awful in the run game.
kdp1980
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Offensive line is still a joke, no room to run, and defenders in the backfield as the rb gets the ball.
Which is surprising to me after getting Lang and wager, decker getting hurt was a huge blow
sggatecl
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I'm hoping it's just a matter of needing more time to get on the same page.
mhughes0021
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Great job in the 2nd half. Dline did a good job causing pressure. Golladay is the man. 4 turnovers. Can't run the ball for shit. Staff with 5 td passes....1 for the other team.
mhughes0021
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Had to get get food for daughters birthday
great 2nd half by Stafford and the offense.dtroitlionsfan951
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Had to get get food for daughters birthday
Good acknowledgement. +1
dtroitlionsfan951
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The pass blocking I thought was pretty good, the cardinals had 48 sacks last year. Best in the NFL.
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It all looked so numbingly, depressingly familiar at the start. A 60-year loop of interceptions, personal fouls, muffed punts and mental mistakes.
Eight months removed from a playoff appearance, here were your Detroit Lions, a bumbling, incoherent mess, trailing 7-0 minutes into the season opener against Arizona at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon, a victim of their own Lioness.
New contract. New receiver. Same old Matthew Stafford.
Facing another fourth-quarter deficit, the Detroit Lions quarterback hit Kenny Golladay for a go-ahead touchdown, then aired out a spectacular 45-yard bomb to put away the Arizona Cardinals in a 35-23 win Sunday at Ford Field.
Lions drop 26 unanswered points on Cardinals to open the 2017 season with a victory at Ford Field.
The Lions are now 6-1 in season openers since 2011, tops in the NFL.
And 18-7 at home under Jim Caldwell.
Stafford had eight fourth-quarter comebacks last year, an NFL record. For him, this was more of the same in crunch time.
But Golladay provided a new and exciting look. Kenny Golladay, who caught a touchdown in the corner of the end zone to give the Lions their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Then caught a 45-yard bomb over the middle, whereupon he laid out over the goal line to haul it in.
A third-round pick, he struggled to make an impact early in the game. He dropped a couple balls and looked like he was headed for a forgettable day -- then came up with two huge touchdown catches, the latter of which he laid out for as he crossed the goal line.
Here are some quick observations from the win:
Remember how many people were upset the Lions drafted a receiver in the third round? And not just any receiver, but Golladay, who wasn't even the best receiver in the MAC? It's all crickets now, though. It's important to continue tempering your expectations for the rookie. Remember, he was virtually a nonfactor for three quarters, other than a pair of drops that contributed to stalled drives. But the fourth quarter showed a glimpse into the possibilities as well. At 6-foot-4, he can do stuff others can't. It's that simple, and particularly true in the red zone. He's going to frustrate sometimes as he learns the position, but he's going to thrill too. And boy, did he thrill on opening day.
Matthew Stafford deserves a ton of credit as well. Facing a 10-0 deficit in the waning moments of a disasterous first half, he almost single-highhandedly got Detroit on the board. He somehow escaped a collapsing pocket, scrambled
15 yards -- and then dove for the first down, rather than slide. That moved the sticks, and a couple plays later, he leaked out the left side of the pocket and threw a strike to Marvin Jones on the run for a 6-yard touchdown. And the Lions were off, scoring 35 of the next 42 points.
Stafford, by the way, is now 6-1 in his last seven season openers. He also has 29 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career. That's second all time for a quarterback through nine seasons -- and he's got 15 more shots to close the gap with Matt Ryan, who had 32 from 2008-16.
The late-game heroics are fun. But as last year showed, late-game heroics are also the product of bad football early in the game. And boy, were the Lions bad early in this one, especially on special teams. Dwayne Washington picked up a bone-headed personal foul on a punt return, which backed up the offense.
They eventually had to punt out of their own end zone because of it, which Kasey Redfern bobbled. He broke the goal line before getting pancaked, which knocked him from the game with a knee injury. That forced kicker Matt Prater to handle punt duties. And then Washington brought out a kickoff that had skidded into the end zone, and barely got back across the 5-yard line.
That's a ton of gaffes -- and it all happened in the first quarter of the season.
The Lions forced four turnovers; Safeties Tavon Wilson, Glover Quin and Miles Killebrew had interceptions for the Lions, and A’Shawn Robinson forced a fumble as the Lions turned four Arizona miscues into 19 points.
Quin’s interception set up the Lions’ first touchdown of the game, Robinson forced a fumble late in the third quarter to set up another Lions score, and Killebrew returned his pick 35 yards for a touchdown with 4:03 to play to seal the victory.
The Lions’ much-maligned defense, which struggled to stop opponents much of last season, made life rough on the Cardinals, coming up with big plays all afternoon, including back-to-back stops in the red zone after a pair of special teams blunders.
And even though the offense sputtered much of the first half, they got it together in time to surge past Arizona for an all-too-familiar fourth-quarter comeback.
Stafford’s first pass was returned 82 yards for a touchdown by Justin Bethel , but the player with the richest contract in the NFL bounced back.
He then threw 45- and 10-yard TD passes to Golladay , along with short passes to Theo Riddick and Marvin Jones for scores.
Matthew Stafford has the heart of a lion (no pun intended) – Matthew Stafford began the day with a pick-six and ended the day with a 45-yard bomb to third-option wide receiver Kenny Galloday. He finished 29-for-41 (70%) for 292 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
He wasn’t perfect, he never is, but when you’re constantly in a situation where you know you cannot depend on your running game, you need a guy like Stafford. Look, we all know the numbers, 5-46 against winning teams,
zero playoff wins, yadda yadda yadda, but until the Lions present a rushing attack that actually makes the defense worry, the entire Lions season will depend on Stafford’s right arm. Thankfully it’s a pretty damn good right arm.
Kenny Galloday is the perfect third option. It’s early, but Kenny Galloday looks to be that guy. He impressed during the preseason, earned himself a roster spot, and had himself one hell of a debut: four catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
INJURIES:
Cardinals: Johnson left with a wrist injury and starting left tackle D.J. Humphries had a knee injury.
Lions: Kasey Redfern’s NFL debut didn’t last long. The punter, filling in for injured Sam Martin, hurt his knee in the first quarter when he dropped a snap in the end zone, picked up the ball and tried to run it out. Placekicker Matt Prater punted the next four times for Detroit.
The running game needs to be better… MUCH better – It’s a tale as old as time for Lions fans, a tale that needs not be spoken but will be spoken nonetheless, the running game is sorely lacking. Finishing the game with a team total of just 82 yards on 27 carries, an average of just three yards per carry, will not get the job done. Not since the back-to-back 20’s (Billy Sims and Barry Sanders), have the Lions been able to produce a rushing attack that’s anywhere near the top half of the league.
The Cardinals jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead on an 82-yard interception return by Justin Bethel and a field goal set up by a botched punt by rookie Kasey Redfern.
The Lions responded with an interception by Glover Quin in the second quarter which led to a six-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Marvin Jones. The ensuing extra point was botched by Jake Rudock, who was filling in for the injured Redfern, and left the Lions down 10-6. A 58-yard field goal by Matt Prater cut the lead to one at halftime.
The Cardinals opened the second half by launching a 12-play, 94-yard drive, capped off by a three-yard Kerwynn Williams touchdown run to increase their lead to 17-9, but the Lions responded with four touchdowns in the next 15 minutes.
The Lions’ defense was dominant in all facets on Sunday, intercepting Palmer three times and causing two fumbles by Cardinals’ running back David Johnson, one of which was recovered by Detroit.
Key stat: The Lions held the Cardinals to just 45 rushing yards,
Johnson left the game in the third quarter with an injury after gaining only 23 yards on 11 carries. Although Johnson did have six receptions for 68 yards, he also fumbled the ball twice and left the game late in the third quarter due to a wrist injury.
The Cardinals ran for 45 yards on 18 carries as a team.
In the passing game, the Lions defended 11 passes and hit Palmer seven times, sacking him once. First-round rookie linebacker Jarrad Davis led the team with nine tackles in his debut. Second-year defensive end Anthony Zettel had a sack and two tackles for loss.
Veteran kicker Matt Prater filled in for Redfern at punter, averaging 34.8 yards on four punts with a long of 47 yards.
Redfern had been with the Lions during camp and was replacing the injured Sam Martin, who is currently on the Lions’ NFI list.
Return man Dwayne Washington attempted to return a kick from deep in his own endzone the ball bounced around in the endzone and was tackled before reaching the 10-yard line.
Dwayne Washington also made a couple poor decisions taking the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs, and he negated a nice 11-yard punt return by Jamal Agnew in the first quarter with a roughing penalty.
He was replaced on kickoff returns in the second half by Agnew.
The most impressive thing about Theo Riddick's touchdown grab there was how he stopped and changed directions instantly for a quicker path to the end zone. It's one of his more valuable traits and something Detroit missed last year when he was out.
Second half Haloti Ngata slowly walking off field for Lions. Not sure what he did there but it's taking him a while to get to the bench. He did return to the game.
Galloday used his frame to body up the defender on a fade ball and made the grab from Matthew Stafford. It was an impressive drive for the quarterback, too.
That's another TD for Lions WR Kenny Golladay. The rookie caught his first score on a corner route vs. man-coverage in the red zone and just made a great grab on the deep ball from QB Matthew Stafford. Four receptions, 69 yards and two TDs in his first pro game.
High-volume day for Golden Tate fantasy owners. The Lions WR is up to 10 receptions (on 12 targets) for 107 yards.
Lion's defense was way better than expected. Caused four turnovers, pressured Carson Palmer and answered a lot of the preseason questions surrounding that team. If the Lions defense can remain consistent through the season, Detroit has a chance to be good in 2017.
http://www.detroitlions.com/media-center/video/recent-videos.html
Webvideos of the Lions Win over the Cardinals.
https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2017...alls-lions-cardinals-kenny-golladay-touchdown
LISTEN: Dan Miller’s best radio calls of Lions vs. Cardinals: Hello Golladay.
“Did he make the catch? Oh he did! Oh rookie you are something special!”
POD
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-detroit-lions-35-arizona-cardinals-17
Refocused: Detroit Lions 35 - Arizona Cardinals 23.
PFF
http://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400951576
Boxscore.
In 2016, the Lions were one of only two teams (Tampa Bay) with three safeties who recorded at least two interceptions and one of five teams who featured four safeties with at least one.
Both starting safeties – Glover Quin and Tavon Wilson – recorded interceptions in the first half Sunday. Killebrew, the team’s third safety, had a 35-yard interception return touchdown in fourth quarter. Nice start for that unit.
It was also a solid debut for Detroit’s 2017 first round selection Jarrad Davis. The young linebacker posted a team-high nine solo tackles and a key fumble recovery against the Cardinals on Sunday.
And second-year defense end Anthony Zettel posted the Lions’ only sack of the game, and just the second of his career.
Anthony Zettel earned the start opposite of Ezekiel Ansah, but other names stepped up huge for Detroit’s defense on Sunday.
Cornelius Washington, a newcomer from division rival Chicago, stepped up in a big way on an early third-and-1 for the Cardinals. Along with Tahir Whitehead, the Lions’ defense was answering the bell for their struggling offense early on.
It was the defense that continued to keep the Lions in the game, and A’Shawn Robinson made a huge play on first down when he forced David Johnson to cough up the rock. Jarrad Davis scooped it up and returned it 21 yards to the Arizona 10-yard line.
Two plays later, the Lions crossed the goal line and were two points away from tying the game after a nifty display of moves by Theo Riddick.
T.J. Lang was called for an illegal block above the waist that wiped out a Golden Tate first down, and it looked like the offense was in trouble on a third-and-long, but it was the other TJ, TJ Jones, who helped keep the Lions’ drive alive with a reception good for a new set of downs. He would make two catches for 32 yards on the drive that would help set up the redemption of Kenny Golladay.
A pass interference against Marvin Jones Jr. kept the Lions from extending their lead to six points, but Detroit was up by two possessions, 21-17... UNTIL GOLLADAY DID IT AGAIN!
Arizona would have one last chance to claw back into this one, down 11 with just over four minutes left, but Palmer threw his third interception of the game, and Miles Killebrew took this one back 35 yards to the house to put the Lions up 35-17.
A pass interference call on Davis in the end zone would set the Cardinals up with a first-and-goal from Detroit’s 1-yard line, and J.J. Nelson would score on the next play from scrimmage making it 35-23.
Lang was the big free agent acquisition for the team this offseason, but he hasn’t played much in the preseason or camp while recovering from last season’s injury. He’s still brushing the dust off and was responsible for an early penalty as well as several poor blocks in the game. He was credited with another penalty later, though it was actually Rick Wagner as the culprit. Lang is going to be a big part of the Lions’ success this year, so the sooner he gets games like these out of his system the better.
Lawson was an underrated gem for the Lions in 2016, but his start to the season has been less than stellar. He gave up several catches, and not all in the ‘short of the sticks but still there to make the tackle’ variety. At one point Lawson was on the sideline while D.J. Hayden was in his place, which could be a trend if Lawson doesn't quickly return to form.
Stock Up:
Jamal Agnew, CB - Agnew’s stint as the KR2 lasted a very short while and he took over returning duties when Washington faltered, performing much better.
Alex Barrett, DE/FB - Yes, you read his position right. Barrett has found a way to make an impact on offense as well as defense. Not bad for an undrafted free agent rookie.
Jarrad Davis, LB - Davis did not have a good start to the game, but that turned around rapidly.
Quandre Diggs, CB - Diggs has bounced back from a terrible 2016 in a big way so far and was locking down Larry Fitzgerald almost every time he covered him.
Graham Glasgow, OG - The Lions dealt with internal pressure throughout the day. It wasn’t a great day for Glasgow, but he held up better than expected.
TJ Jones, WR - Jones dropped a pass that hit him in the hands, but redeemed himself later in the game by hauling in a couple tough catches.
Miles Killebrew, SS - Miles Killebrew struggled in camp and the preseason, but a game-sealing pick-six is about as great a way to start your season as any.
Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT - Few expected Ledbetter to make an impact this early, but there he was making plays in the Lions opener.
Matt Prater, K/P - “Matt Prater in for the punt” surprised a lot of people but he handled duties well. Still a boss on long field goals, too.
A’Shawn Robinson, DT - Robinson was collapsing the pocket and making life difficult for Carson Palmer. Also added a fumble that Jarrad Davis recovered.
Greg Robinson, OT - Stafford was sacked one time and it was on a coverage sack. Robinson kept up his end of the bargain and helped keep the franchise clean.
Matthew Stafford, QB - Wheels did his job after the team’s rough start and would throw four touchdowns in the win.
Jeremiah Valoaga, DE - Valoaga didn’t get much work, but was a strong run defender when he saw the field.
Charles Washington, FS - Washington was fabulous on special teams, including one Don Carey-esque tackle as a gunner. Not missing Johnson Bademosi.
Tahir Whitehead, LB - Going into the second half, David Johnson didn’t have a target and Whitehead made the tackle on the only pass thrown to a TE...for -4 yards.
Tavon Wilson, SS - It was an up-and-down day, but it trended up more than down for Wilson.
Anthony Zettel, DE - The lone Lions sack of the game came by Zettel, who started the game. He otherwise suffered the same “Almost” syndrome that Ansah did.
Stock Down:
Ameer Abdullah, RB - We were expecting Ameer Abdullah to have a breakout season, but the blocking wasn’t there and he didn’t impact the game much.
Ezekiel Ansah, DE - The name of the game for Ansah was “Almost.” Gotta finish.
Eric Ebron, TE - To preface, Ebron didn’t get much action, and didn’t play poorly with the action he had. The Lions keeping three tight ends was a possible sign they weren’t using position much, and how they ran their offense pretty much confirms it.
D.J. Hayden, CB - Hayden had penalty issues in Oakland and he brought them to Detroit.
Marvin Jones, WR - Jones caught a TD and a long pass, so it wasn’t a bad day for him. Still, he wasn’t very effective for much of the game and some guy named Golladay is gunning for his job.
Steve Longa, LB - Making the roster was awesome, but netting a penalty in your first game as a Lion isn’t how you celebrate it.
Theo Riddick, RB - Riddick still struggles to run the ball and added a drop on the day. He had a nice TD that was vintage Riddick, but his usage was way down.
Michael Roberts, TE - The tight ends were sparingly used and Roberts the least of all.
Jake Rudock, QB - It isn’t often a backup QB gets on here. Rudock took over holder duties and was bad enough at them the Lions just started attempting two-point conversions while he practiced on the sidelines.
Travis Swanson, OC - Swanson struggled the few times I was able to key in on the offensive line specifically. Will be key during my rewatch this week.
Rick Wagner, OT - Can’t be blocking guys in the back, dude. Even if they mistake you for Lang, it is still a penalty against your team.
Dwayne Washington, RB - I questioned the move of making him the KR to start and I was, sadly, proven very right. Washington was a dumpster fire as a returner and was mercifully pulled before he did more damage.
Coaches:
Jim Caldwell, Head Coach - Stock Up
The Lions came into the second half having made adjustments on both offense and defense. Read that first sentence again.
Jim Bob Cooter, Offensive Coordinator - Stock Up
If we were talking about the first half, this would have easily been a stock down. Cooter struggled to get anything going in the first half and even when things picked up late in the game he still couldn’t muster any semblance of a run game. It was his second half adjustments against the Cardinals stout secondary that saw the Lions making play after play seemingly with ease in the fourth quarter, en route to a win.
Teryl Austin, Defensive Coordinator - Stock Up
Where Cooter was a tale of two halves, Teryl Austin was stoically leading a Lions defense full of perceived holes to a near complete dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals. David Johnson, one of the most gifted players in the league, was not only ineffective, but practically useless in the first half. Larry Fitzgerald has been fighting off father time for years, but he struggled to beat out Austin’s coverages. The Lions came away with the football four times on defense, including putting points on the board by Miles Killebrew.
Joe Marciano, Special Teams Coordinator - Stock Down
While the offense and defense found success, the special teams were not as lucky. Redfern injury aside, the Lions were having no luck returning the football aside from a Jamal Agnew punt return late. Dwayne Washington ran out multiple kicks that he should not have, putting the Lions in terrible field position, and Jake Rudock was unprepared for emergency duties as a holder. Due to Bob Quinn’s influence, the team is stacked with special teams talent, but there were coaching breakdowns in this one by Marciano.
Eight months removed from a playoff appearance, here were your Detroit Lions, a bumbling, incoherent mess, trailing 7-0 minutes into the season opener against Arizona at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon, a victim of their own Lioness.
New contract. New receiver. Same old Matthew Stafford.
Facing another fourth-quarter deficit, the Detroit Lions quarterback hit Kenny Golladay for a go-ahead touchdown, then aired out a spectacular 45-yard bomb to put away the Arizona Cardinals in a 35-23 win Sunday at Ford Field.
Lions drop 26 unanswered points on Cardinals to open the 2017 season with a victory at Ford Field.
The Lions are now 6-1 in season openers since 2011, tops in the NFL.
And 18-7 at home under Jim Caldwell.
Stafford had eight fourth-quarter comebacks last year, an NFL record. For him, this was more of the same in crunch time.
But Golladay provided a new and exciting look. Kenny Golladay, who caught a touchdown in the corner of the end zone to give the Lions their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Then caught a 45-yard bomb over the middle, whereupon he laid out over the goal line to haul it in.
A third-round pick, he struggled to make an impact early in the game. He dropped a couple balls and looked like he was headed for a forgettable day -- then came up with two huge touchdown catches, the latter of which he laid out for as he crossed the goal line.
Here are some quick observations from the win:
Remember how many people were upset the Lions drafted a receiver in the third round? And not just any receiver, but Golladay, who wasn't even the best receiver in the MAC? It's all crickets now, though. It's important to continue tempering your expectations for the rookie. Remember, he was virtually a nonfactor for three quarters, other than a pair of drops that contributed to stalled drives. But the fourth quarter showed a glimpse into the possibilities as well. At 6-foot-4, he can do stuff others can't. It's that simple, and particularly true in the red zone. He's going to frustrate sometimes as he learns the position, but he's going to thrill too. And boy, did he thrill on opening day.
Matthew Stafford deserves a ton of credit as well. Facing a 10-0 deficit in the waning moments of a disasterous first half, he almost single-highhandedly got Detroit on the board. He somehow escaped a collapsing pocket, scrambled
15 yards -- and then dove for the first down, rather than slide. That moved the sticks, and a couple plays later, he leaked out the left side of the pocket and threw a strike to Marvin Jones on the run for a 6-yard touchdown. And the Lions were off, scoring 35 of the next 42 points.
Stafford, by the way, is now 6-1 in his last seven season openers. He also has 29 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career. That's second all time for a quarterback through nine seasons -- and he's got 15 more shots to close the gap with Matt Ryan, who had 32 from 2008-16.
The late-game heroics are fun. But as last year showed, late-game heroics are also the product of bad football early in the game. And boy, were the Lions bad early in this one, especially on special teams. Dwayne Washington picked up a bone-headed personal foul on a punt return, which backed up the offense.
They eventually had to punt out of their own end zone because of it, which Kasey Redfern bobbled. He broke the goal line before getting pancaked, which knocked him from the game with a knee injury. That forced kicker Matt Prater to handle punt duties. And then Washington brought out a kickoff that had skidded into the end zone, and barely got back across the 5-yard line.
That's a ton of gaffes -- and it all happened in the first quarter of the season.
The Lions forced four turnovers; Safeties Tavon Wilson, Glover Quin and Miles Killebrew had interceptions for the Lions, and A’Shawn Robinson forced a fumble as the Lions turned four Arizona miscues into 19 points.
Quin’s interception set up the Lions’ first touchdown of the game, Robinson forced a fumble late in the third quarter to set up another Lions score, and Killebrew returned his pick 35 yards for a touchdown with 4:03 to play to seal the victory.
The Lions’ much-maligned defense, which struggled to stop opponents much of last season, made life rough on the Cardinals, coming up with big plays all afternoon, including back-to-back stops in the red zone after a pair of special teams blunders.
And even though the offense sputtered much of the first half, they got it together in time to surge past Arizona for an all-too-familiar fourth-quarter comeback.
Stafford’s first pass was returned 82 yards for a touchdown by Justin Bethel , but the player with the richest contract in the NFL bounced back.
He then threw 45- and 10-yard TD passes to Golladay , along with short passes to Theo Riddick and Marvin Jones for scores.
Matthew Stafford has the heart of a lion (no pun intended) – Matthew Stafford began the day with a pick-six and ended the day with a 45-yard bomb to third-option wide receiver Kenny Galloday. He finished 29-for-41 (70%) for 292 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
He wasn’t perfect, he never is, but when you’re constantly in a situation where you know you cannot depend on your running game, you need a guy like Stafford. Look, we all know the numbers, 5-46 against winning teams,
zero playoff wins, yadda yadda yadda, but until the Lions present a rushing attack that actually makes the defense worry, the entire Lions season will depend on Stafford’s right arm. Thankfully it’s a pretty damn good right arm.
Kenny Galloday is the perfect third option. It’s early, but Kenny Galloday looks to be that guy. He impressed during the preseason, earned himself a roster spot, and had himself one hell of a debut: four catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
INJURIES:
Cardinals: Johnson left with a wrist injury and starting left tackle D.J. Humphries had a knee injury.
Lions: Kasey Redfern’s NFL debut didn’t last long. The punter, filling in for injured Sam Martin, hurt his knee in the first quarter when he dropped a snap in the end zone, picked up the ball and tried to run it out. Placekicker Matt Prater punted the next four times for Detroit.
The running game needs to be better… MUCH better – It’s a tale as old as time for Lions fans, a tale that needs not be spoken but will be spoken nonetheless, the running game is sorely lacking. Finishing the game with a team total of just 82 yards on 27 carries, an average of just three yards per carry, will not get the job done. Not since the back-to-back 20’s (Billy Sims and Barry Sanders), have the Lions been able to produce a rushing attack that’s anywhere near the top half of the league.
The Cardinals jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead on an 82-yard interception return by Justin Bethel and a field goal set up by a botched punt by rookie Kasey Redfern.
The Lions responded with an interception by Glover Quin in the second quarter which led to a six-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Marvin Jones. The ensuing extra point was botched by Jake Rudock, who was filling in for the injured Redfern, and left the Lions down 10-6. A 58-yard field goal by Matt Prater cut the lead to one at halftime.
The Cardinals opened the second half by launching a 12-play, 94-yard drive, capped off by a three-yard Kerwynn Williams touchdown run to increase their lead to 17-9, but the Lions responded with four touchdowns in the next 15 minutes.
The Lions’ defense was dominant in all facets on Sunday, intercepting Palmer three times and causing two fumbles by Cardinals’ running back David Johnson, one of which was recovered by Detroit.
Key stat: The Lions held the Cardinals to just 45 rushing yards,
Johnson left the game in the third quarter with an injury after gaining only 23 yards on 11 carries. Although Johnson did have six receptions for 68 yards, he also fumbled the ball twice and left the game late in the third quarter due to a wrist injury.
The Cardinals ran for 45 yards on 18 carries as a team.
In the passing game, the Lions defended 11 passes and hit Palmer seven times, sacking him once. First-round rookie linebacker Jarrad Davis led the team with nine tackles in his debut. Second-year defensive end Anthony Zettel had a sack and two tackles for loss.
Veteran kicker Matt Prater filled in for Redfern at punter, averaging 34.8 yards on four punts with a long of 47 yards.
Redfern had been with the Lions during camp and was replacing the injured Sam Martin, who is currently on the Lions’ NFI list.
Return man Dwayne Washington attempted to return a kick from deep in his own endzone the ball bounced around in the endzone and was tackled before reaching the 10-yard line.
Dwayne Washington also made a couple poor decisions taking the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs, and he negated a nice 11-yard punt return by Jamal Agnew in the first quarter with a roughing penalty.
He was replaced on kickoff returns in the second half by Agnew.
The most impressive thing about Theo Riddick's touchdown grab there was how he stopped and changed directions instantly for a quicker path to the end zone. It's one of his more valuable traits and something Detroit missed last year when he was out.
Second half Haloti Ngata slowly walking off field for Lions. Not sure what he did there but it's taking him a while to get to the bench. He did return to the game.
Galloday used his frame to body up the defender on a fade ball and made the grab from Matthew Stafford. It was an impressive drive for the quarterback, too.
That's another TD for Lions WR Kenny Golladay. The rookie caught his first score on a corner route vs. man-coverage in the red zone and just made a great grab on the deep ball from QB Matthew Stafford. Four receptions, 69 yards and two TDs in his first pro game.
High-volume day for Golden Tate fantasy owners. The Lions WR is up to 10 receptions (on 12 targets) for 107 yards.
Lion's defense was way better than expected. Caused four turnovers, pressured Carson Palmer and answered a lot of the preseason questions surrounding that team. If the Lions defense can remain consistent through the season, Detroit has a chance to be good in 2017.
http://www.detroitlions.com/media-center/video/recent-videos.html
Webvideos of the Lions Win over the Cardinals.
https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2017...alls-lions-cardinals-kenny-golladay-touchdown
LISTEN: Dan Miller’s best radio calls of Lions vs. Cardinals: Hello Golladay.
“Did he make the catch? Oh he did! Oh rookie you are something special!”
POD
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-detroit-lions-35-arizona-cardinals-17
Refocused: Detroit Lions 35 - Arizona Cardinals 23.
PFF
http://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400951576
Boxscore.
In 2016, the Lions were one of only two teams (Tampa Bay) with three safeties who recorded at least two interceptions and one of five teams who featured four safeties with at least one.
Both starting safeties – Glover Quin and Tavon Wilson – recorded interceptions in the first half Sunday. Killebrew, the team’s third safety, had a 35-yard interception return touchdown in fourth quarter. Nice start for that unit.
It was also a solid debut for Detroit’s 2017 first round selection Jarrad Davis. The young linebacker posted a team-high nine solo tackles and a key fumble recovery against the Cardinals on Sunday.
And second-year defense end Anthony Zettel posted the Lions’ only sack of the game, and just the second of his career.
Anthony Zettel earned the start opposite of Ezekiel Ansah, but other names stepped up huge for Detroit’s defense on Sunday.
Cornelius Washington, a newcomer from division rival Chicago, stepped up in a big way on an early third-and-1 for the Cardinals. Along with Tahir Whitehead, the Lions’ defense was answering the bell for their struggling offense early on.
It was the defense that continued to keep the Lions in the game, and A’Shawn Robinson made a huge play on first down when he forced David Johnson to cough up the rock. Jarrad Davis scooped it up and returned it 21 yards to the Arizona 10-yard line.
Two plays later, the Lions crossed the goal line and were two points away from tying the game after a nifty display of moves by Theo Riddick.
T.J. Lang was called for an illegal block above the waist that wiped out a Golden Tate first down, and it looked like the offense was in trouble on a third-and-long, but it was the other TJ, TJ Jones, who helped keep the Lions’ drive alive with a reception good for a new set of downs. He would make two catches for 32 yards on the drive that would help set up the redemption of Kenny Golladay.
A pass interference against Marvin Jones Jr. kept the Lions from extending their lead to six points, but Detroit was up by two possessions, 21-17... UNTIL GOLLADAY DID IT AGAIN!
Arizona would have one last chance to claw back into this one, down 11 with just over four minutes left, but Palmer threw his third interception of the game, and Miles Killebrew took this one back 35 yards to the house to put the Lions up 35-17.
A pass interference call on Davis in the end zone would set the Cardinals up with a first-and-goal from Detroit’s 1-yard line, and J.J. Nelson would score on the next play from scrimmage making it 35-23.
Lang was the big free agent acquisition for the team this offseason, but he hasn’t played much in the preseason or camp while recovering from last season’s injury. He’s still brushing the dust off and was responsible for an early penalty as well as several poor blocks in the game. He was credited with another penalty later, though it was actually Rick Wagner as the culprit. Lang is going to be a big part of the Lions’ success this year, so the sooner he gets games like these out of his system the better.
Lawson was an underrated gem for the Lions in 2016, but his start to the season has been less than stellar. He gave up several catches, and not all in the ‘short of the sticks but still there to make the tackle’ variety. At one point Lawson was on the sideline while D.J. Hayden was in his place, which could be a trend if Lawson doesn't quickly return to form.
Stock Up:
Jamal Agnew, CB - Agnew’s stint as the KR2 lasted a very short while and he took over returning duties when Washington faltered, performing much better.
Alex Barrett, DE/FB - Yes, you read his position right. Barrett has found a way to make an impact on offense as well as defense. Not bad for an undrafted free agent rookie.
Jarrad Davis, LB - Davis did not have a good start to the game, but that turned around rapidly.
Quandre Diggs, CB - Diggs has bounced back from a terrible 2016 in a big way so far and was locking down Larry Fitzgerald almost every time he covered him.
Graham Glasgow, OG - The Lions dealt with internal pressure throughout the day. It wasn’t a great day for Glasgow, but he held up better than expected.
TJ Jones, WR - Jones dropped a pass that hit him in the hands, but redeemed himself later in the game by hauling in a couple tough catches.
Miles Killebrew, SS - Miles Killebrew struggled in camp and the preseason, but a game-sealing pick-six is about as great a way to start your season as any.
Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT - Few expected Ledbetter to make an impact this early, but there he was making plays in the Lions opener.
Matt Prater, K/P - “Matt Prater in for the punt” surprised a lot of people but he handled duties well. Still a boss on long field goals, too.
A’Shawn Robinson, DT - Robinson was collapsing the pocket and making life difficult for Carson Palmer. Also added a fumble that Jarrad Davis recovered.
Greg Robinson, OT - Stafford was sacked one time and it was on a coverage sack. Robinson kept up his end of the bargain and helped keep the franchise clean.
Matthew Stafford, QB - Wheels did his job after the team’s rough start and would throw four touchdowns in the win.
Jeremiah Valoaga, DE - Valoaga didn’t get much work, but was a strong run defender when he saw the field.
Charles Washington, FS - Washington was fabulous on special teams, including one Don Carey-esque tackle as a gunner. Not missing Johnson Bademosi.
Tahir Whitehead, LB - Going into the second half, David Johnson didn’t have a target and Whitehead made the tackle on the only pass thrown to a TE...for -4 yards.
Tavon Wilson, SS - It was an up-and-down day, but it trended up more than down for Wilson.
Anthony Zettel, DE - The lone Lions sack of the game came by Zettel, who started the game. He otherwise suffered the same “Almost” syndrome that Ansah did.
Stock Down:
Ameer Abdullah, RB - We were expecting Ameer Abdullah to have a breakout season, but the blocking wasn’t there and he didn’t impact the game much.
Ezekiel Ansah, DE - The name of the game for Ansah was “Almost.” Gotta finish.
Eric Ebron, TE - To preface, Ebron didn’t get much action, and didn’t play poorly with the action he had. The Lions keeping three tight ends was a possible sign they weren’t using position much, and how they ran their offense pretty much confirms it.
D.J. Hayden, CB - Hayden had penalty issues in Oakland and he brought them to Detroit.
Marvin Jones, WR - Jones caught a TD and a long pass, so it wasn’t a bad day for him. Still, he wasn’t very effective for much of the game and some guy named Golladay is gunning for his job.
Steve Longa, LB - Making the roster was awesome, but netting a penalty in your first game as a Lion isn’t how you celebrate it.
Theo Riddick, RB - Riddick still struggles to run the ball and added a drop on the day. He had a nice TD that was vintage Riddick, but his usage was way down.
Michael Roberts, TE - The tight ends were sparingly used and Roberts the least of all.
Jake Rudock, QB - It isn’t often a backup QB gets on here. Rudock took over holder duties and was bad enough at them the Lions just started attempting two-point conversions while he practiced on the sidelines.
Travis Swanson, OC - Swanson struggled the few times I was able to key in on the offensive line specifically. Will be key during my rewatch this week.
Rick Wagner, OT - Can’t be blocking guys in the back, dude. Even if they mistake you for Lang, it is still a penalty against your team.
Dwayne Washington, RB - I questioned the move of making him the KR to start and I was, sadly, proven very right. Washington was a dumpster fire as a returner and was mercifully pulled before he did more damage.
Coaches:
Jim Caldwell, Head Coach - Stock Up
The Lions came into the second half having made adjustments on both offense and defense. Read that first sentence again.
Jim Bob Cooter, Offensive Coordinator - Stock Up
If we were talking about the first half, this would have easily been a stock down. Cooter struggled to get anything going in the first half and even when things picked up late in the game he still couldn’t muster any semblance of a run game. It was his second half adjustments against the Cardinals stout secondary that saw the Lions making play after play seemingly with ease in the fourth quarter, en route to a win.
Teryl Austin, Defensive Coordinator - Stock Up
Where Cooter was a tale of two halves, Teryl Austin was stoically leading a Lions defense full of perceived holes to a near complete dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals. David Johnson, one of the most gifted players in the league, was not only ineffective, but practically useless in the first half. Larry Fitzgerald has been fighting off father time for years, but he struggled to beat out Austin’s coverages. The Lions came away with the football four times on defense, including putting points on the board by Miles Killebrew.
Joe Marciano, Special Teams Coordinator - Stock Down
While the offense and defense found success, the special teams were not as lucky. Redfern injury aside, the Lions were having no luck returning the football aside from a Jamal Agnew punt return late. Dwayne Washington ran out multiple kicks that he should not have, putting the Lions in terrible field position, and Jake Rudock was unprepared for emergency duties as a holder. Due to Bob Quinn’s influence, the team is stacked with special teams talent, but there were coaching breakdowns in this one by Marciano.
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sggatecl
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I'm really impressed by how our secondary looked. They really held their own early on while the pass rush was still figuring things out. They were also extremely physical but not to the point where they were constantly being flagged. Hell, they actually drew two offensive pass interference calls themselves. Goes to show how frustrated they made the Arizona receivers.
Tonyballs2
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Slow start on offense but figured things out.
Defense balled out. Zettel was impressive. Ziggy is obviously still ailing but you can tell he's healing up.
I love the fire in the rookie Davis
Golladay is the real deal...wow.
Tate was awesome.
Abdullah was running hard
OLine was ok but still worries me a bit. Pass blocking was ok but the run blocking looked bad.
Tabor not dressed is concerning. Doesn't know the system yet? Wtf.
#9.....nuff said.
Defense balled out. Zettel was impressive. Ziggy is obviously still ailing but you can tell he's healing up.
I love the fire in the rookie Davis
Golladay is the real deal...wow.
Tate was awesome.
Abdullah was running hard
OLine was ok but still worries me a bit. Pass blocking was ok but the run blocking looked bad.
Tabor not dressed is concerning. Doesn't know the system yet? Wtf.
#9.....nuff said.
Tonyballs2
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Yep...thankfully
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hope the NYG of tonight show up next week to !!!
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What a great win
Kudos to the defense. Only one sack but they provided hurries and some hits and great run D. They really won this game for us.
4 turnovers. Finally. Finally some turnovers and Stafford had short fields. What does he do with short fields. He gets TDS. Short fields are the key to this game. Some was Palmer, some was pressure and A'Shawn Robinson stripped David Johnson and Jarrad Davis recovered
This team didn't even play great and won by 12. Going to be a fun season
Kudos to the defense. Only one sack but they provided hurries and some hits and great run D. They really won this game for us.
4 turnovers. Finally. Finally some turnovers and Stafford had short fields. What does he do with short fields. He gets TDS. Short fields are the key to this game. Some was Palmer, some was pressure and A'Shawn Robinson stripped David Johnson and Jarrad Davis recovered
This team didn't even play great and won by 12. Going to be a fun season
sggatecl
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First touchdown drive, he had a 5-6 yard catch on 3rd down that gave us the first down. I can't recall any other moments worth noting.
Ebron snaps were limited. Lots of 3 and 4 WRs it seemed or Riddick out there. Ebron had the one big first down. 2 catches 9 yards on 3 targets. He needs to step up. Glad the offense can still drop 30 points without him
The Tate finger injury is a little concerning and the run game. DO NOT LET DWAYNE WASHINGTON EVER RETURN A KICKOFF AGAIN
72 percent of snaps for Ebron. 45 percent for Fells. 8 snaps for Roberts
The Tate finger injury is a little concerning and the run game. DO NOT LET DWAYNE WASHINGTON EVER RETURN A KICKOFF AGAIN
72 percent of snaps for Ebron. 45 percent for Fells. 8 snaps for Roberts
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