Mistakes by the Lions lead to a field goal, but they are still ahead 20-10 against the Cardinals after the first half
The Cardinals try to run down the clock with less than 30 seconds left when Murray gets to Wilson again with a short pass but Jalen Reeves-Maybin is penalized for unnecessary roughness giving the Cardinals another 15 yards. Now at the Lions’ 46, Murray finds McBride for nine yards as we not only see LaPorta get carried off the field but also see Alim McNeill go down injured. McNeill is able to go off the field but the Cards keep pushing as Harrison catches the ball and goes out of bounds at the Lions’ 30. Murray tries to go deep to Harrison but Arnold and Branch break up the reception then Conner makes the run for six yards as the Cards bring out Prater to score the 42-yard field goal to end the second quarter. The Cardinals start the second half with the ball. (End of First Half)
Lions escape disaster with two-minute warning, St. Brown and Gibbs provide a magical touchdown
This time, the Lions open the game with a pass, and Goff finds LaPorta for a 28-yard gain that puts them in Cards territory with a big first down. Montgomery gains just two yards on a first down, then the running back catches a pass for a single yard, and it’s third-and-7. The Lions spread the offense, but Taylor Decker is flagged for a false start, and it’s third-and-12. The Cardinals send the blitz, and Goff is hit throwing the ball, and Mack Wilson intercepts him, who carries it all the way to the pick-6…but the refs blow the play, as the two-minute warning came just before the ball was snapped. The play cannot be contested or reviewed, and the Lions go into a run, and Gibbs runs forward, gaining 14 yards and the first down. Gibbs makes another carry on his first attempt and is tackled at the Cards’ 30-yard line. Goff throws a checkdown to Jameson Williams, who sprints away for nine yards and a first down as the Lions call their first timeout with 36 seconds left. It’s first-and-10 at the Cards’ 21-yard line, and we get a trick play as St. Brown catches the ball and throws it to Gibbs, who runs away and scores a touchdown! The Lions attempt the extra point as Bates makes it. (29 seconds left)
The Cardinals start deep in their own territory at their own 10 after the penalty. Murray finds Wilson deep for a big 30-yard pass, but Elijah Higgins is whistled for holding Brian Branch to score on first down and 15. Conner gets the handoff for three yards, then Murray and Wilson can’t connect on second down and 12, but Arnold is penalized for pass interference, and the Cards get a first down. Conner gets another run on first down, but is stopped by Branch and Hutchinson for a short gain in yardage. Murray finds Wilson for eight yards on second down, then Onwuzurike forces Murray’s pass to hit the ground before a receiver can stop it. Plus, it’s the first incomplete pass by a quarterback this game! After two consecutive scoring drives, we now have three punts in a row, and the Lions start at their own 28. (4:23)
Barnes is carried off the field as the Lions start at their own 18-yard line and Montgomery runs eight yards out of bounds. Goff looks to go wide on the play action but makes the clever checkdown pass to Wright for nine yards and a first down. Montgomery is nearly swallowed by the Cardinals defense but someone makes it back to the line of scrimmage with no gain in ground. After the play there is another injury but this time it is Baker who is on the ground for the Cardinals as he limps to the sideline. On the second attempt Montgomery runs seven yards then Goff is sacked by Mack Wilson on the third and third. Now the Lions punt for the first time as the kick bounces into the end zone and there is a penalty for the Cardinals that they will get back when we come back from timeout. (7:06)
Here comes the Cardinals offense again on first down at their own 30 as Murray can’t find anyone open but struggles for three yards as another Lion is out injured, this time Barnes, and we take another injury timeout. Barnes can run but freshman Terrion Arnold’s use is questionable as he battles a knee injury while Conner runs for three yards on second down. Now it’s third and fourth as Wilson makes a diving catch but is tackled a yard short of the first down marker and we get our first punt of the game as Kalif Raymond makes the catch at the Lions 6 but only gains eight yards on the return. (10:23)
Gibbs continues to run on the ground, then Goff connects with St. Brown as the Lions regain the lead
(Start of 2nd quarter) Detroit keeps the ball on the ground, Gibbs runs four yards on second down and gains nine yards on third down to get to the Cards’ first and last attempt at the 9-yard line. Gibbs’ fourth straight run goes for five yards, but he is eventually stopped and loses a yard on second down. Now it’s third down as Goff finds St. Brown for the 5-yard touchdown reception as the Lions are 2-for-2 in the red zone today. Jake Bates misses the extra point wide right, but the Lions retake the lead. (12:27)
Lions and Cardinals both score on their first drives, after the first quarter the score is 7:7
The Lions offense is back on the field for a second time. It’s first-and-10 at their own 30 when Jahmyr Gibbs gets his first run for five yards. Goff again finds Wright, who takes a hard hit from Kyzir White and makes it third-and-1. Gibbs drops three yards to move the chains for Detroit, then gets another run on first down but gets spun around and briefly gains two yards. On second down, Goff finds Amon-Ra St. Brown on an out route for his first catch and a first down. The Lions are close to the Cards now as LaPorta is penalized for a false start before Goff is sacked, actually helping the Lions only lose five compared to the bigger loss had the sack counted. Gibbs runs outside on first-and-15, but Budda Baker picks the ball off for no gain. Goff connects with St. Brown in the middle for 20 yards and a first down. On the first attempt, it is again Gibbs who gains three yards on the last play of a fast first quarter. (End of the 1st quarter)
Murray shows off his arms and legs as Harrison Jr. scores a touchdown to tie the game
It’s time to see what this Lions defense can do against Kyler Murray. The Cardinals start off a kickoff touchback at their own 30 as James Conner gets the handoff for one yard to start the drive. On second down, Trey McBride gets the pass for seven yards as Levi Onwuzurike is injured on the play. After the injury timeout, Onwuzurike is seen jogging back to the Lions sideline as Murray short-hands the ball to Michael Wilson on third down for five yards and a first down. We see Murray’s running talent for the first time today as he gains 13 on the run for another first down. Now it’s first-and-10 at the Lions’ 44, with Murray staying patient in the pocket before finding Marvin Harrison Jr. free near the sideline for the first down. Conner gets another first down run for six yards, but the Cards are called for holding as it is now first-and-20. That gives Murray plenty of room to run on the next play as the quarterback runs 20 yards, gaining another first down for the Cardinals offense. Now in the red zone, Conner is brought down by Aidan Hutchinson and Derrick Barnes, gaining 3 yards on the first down. On second down, Murray tries a fade to Harrison toward Harrison in the end zone as the rookie drops the ball, but the returning Marcus Davenport is penalized for hands-to-the-face, making it first-and-goal. This time Murray finds Harrison on the crossing route for the touchdown. Former Lion Matt Prater makes the extra point and ties the game. (5:08)
Lions run with the ball, Montgomery scores on opening drive
(Start of 1st Quarter) Detroit starts after a touchback on the kickoff at their own 30. This time the Lions offense starts on the ground as David Montgomery gains 11 yards for a first down. Montgomery manages another six-yard run, but Dan Skipper is on the ground in pain as we now have an injury timeout. After the timeout, Montgomery manages his third straight run but loses two yards on the run. Now it’s third-and-6 where Jared Goff quickly throws the ball against the blitz to Sam LaPorta for 12 yards and a first down. Goff throws it to Brock Wright again on first down for an eight yard gain. Goff and Wright connect again on play-action for another Lions first down. The Lions are now at the Cards’ 24 with Montgomery managing another nine-yard run, making it second-and-1. Montgomery gets a throw to the left and charges forward to make the first down at the 1-yard line. Montgomery does the job with the rushing touchdown as the Lions offense starts well and shows its dominance on the ground. (10:16)
Start
Here we are as the Lions face the Cardinals in Week 3. The Lions will be wearing their all-white jerseys for the first time this season, while the Cardinals will be wearing all-black jerseys at home. The Cards won the coin toss and elected to postpone since the Lions will have possession of the ball to start the game.
preview
After drawing their first two home games, the Lions will look to get off to a strong start on the road when they head to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3.
Detroit is trying to avoid a 1-2 start after a 20-16 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 2. The loss was marked by great and disappointing performances, including Aidan Hutchinson’s career day with 4½ sacks and Jared Goff’s 55 pass attempts with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Lions hope to solve their red zone problems as they rank near the bottom of the NFL rankings, converting just 27% of their attempts, including 1 of 7 against the Bucs.
The Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Rams 41-10 last week, with Kyler Murray posting 266 passing yards and three touchdowns. Keeping Murray and rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who posted 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four catches in check in the same game, will be a challenge for the Lions defense.
Follow Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill’s live updates here.
Lions at Cardinals
▶ Start: 4:25 p.m. Sunday, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
▶ Television/Radio: 97.1 FM
▶ Line: Lions with 3½
▶ Records: Lions 1:1; Cardinals 1:1
