The Detroit Lions took a punch in the gut last week, but they picked themselves up and got back on the winning track.

Coming off their first loss of the season, the Lions faced a red-hot Arizona Cardinals team that had just crushed the Los Angeles Rams 41-10. If Detroit wanted to prove it could go deep in the playoffs, this was their moment. The litmus test went well, but there are still growing pains and literal pains ahead in the coming weeks.

Let’s examine some takeaways from the Lions’ 20-13 win over the Cardinals.

Injuries at the start of the season

In May, I talked about the troubling trend of the Lions averaging the earliest bye weeks in the entire league. But after all those early injuries to start the 2024 season, a bye week in Week 5 suddenly looks like a welcome break.

The Lions were already without Ifeatu Melifonwu, Alex Anzalone and Ennis Rakestraw and suffered further injuries against the Cardinals. Terrion Arnold was briefly sidelined with a knee injury. Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, two key defensive players, were both out for a time, with McNeill (shoulder) out early in the third quarter. Derrick Barnes (knee), the only proven SAM linebacker on the roster, was wheeled to the locker room early and did not return. Sam LaPorta (ankle) was rolled over on the Lions’ hook-and-ladder touchdown and also had to be carted to the locker room. Marcus Davenport was examined on the sideline in the third quarter after already missing a game in Week 2. Dan Skipper was confused early in the game. Brian Branch (neck) was injured on a torpedo tackle late in the game.

A team is only as good as its depth, and the Lions have already had to dip into their reserve pool for help. That doesn’t even take into account players already on the injured list like Brodric Martin, Emmanuel Moseley or John Cominsky, nor does it account for minor injuries to ironmen like Penei Sewell or Graham Glasgow.

The Lions lack the decisive blow

The Lions’ defense is playing incredibly well considering the number of injuries they’ve suffered so far this season. Detroit’s 2-1 loss was largely thanks to their defensive effort, and if their offensive counterpart could step up, we could expect a 3-0 record to start the year.

On paper, the Lions offense was productive. Jared Goff was efficient, scoring two touchdowns while David Montgomery rushed for over 100 yards. However, similar to last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the yards did not translate into points. Detroit totaled 463 yards on offense last week, but could only convert that into 16 points. Against the Cardinals, Detroit managed 373 yards, but their final total was just 20 (three touchdowns due to a missed extra point). All three points came in the first half, as Detroit was unable to score a single point in the second half.

Thanks to their defensive effort, it didn’t cost them in the end, but it could have. It’s another example of a troubling trend over the last three games. The offense is strong early on, but it falters late in games. The Lions had plenty of opportunities to finish the Cardinals off, but it didn’t happen until the very last drive. If Detroit wants to be a Super Bowl team, they need to be able to finish games instead of leaving their opponents hanging.

It’s hard to say what the solution is, and there’s probably not just one. Amon-Ra St. Brown was productive once again, putting his Week 1 disappointment behind him. Jameson Williams was largely a ghost on Sunday, but the Cardinals paid special attention to the speedster, such as on his end-around loss of seven yards. The biggest name who hasn’t quite got going yet is Sam LaPorta, who had two catches for 36 yards but was injured again. The Lions are clearly not playing to their potential, and you have to wonder if LaPorta is the crucial missing cog right now.

A modest outing from Hutchinson, but for good reason

Some will look at the stats and be disappointed that Aidan Hutchinson only had one sack against the Cardinals, yet another team that fields a backup offensive tackle. After he recorded 4.5 sacks last week against the Buccaneers, that’s a significant drop off, right?

Well, it’s not that simple. The Cardinals focused on Hutchinson the entire game, rarely allowing him one-on-ones. Arizona’s tight ends (Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins) finished the day with just four catches for 36 yards, which was largely a byproduct of Hutchinson’s frequent heaves. With McBride not playing a major role in the passing offense, Kyler Murray’s offense was largely limited to Marvin Harrison Jr. further down the field, and the Lions did a pretty good job of containing him. This is just one example of how Hutchinson impacted the entire game with his pass rush.

Hutchinson had his share of pressures, forcing the elusive Murray out of the pocket or into difficult throws. With the Cardinals in catch-up mode late in the fourth quarter, Hutchinson pulled out his devastating spin move for the Lions’ only sack of the game. The end result of Hutchinson’s pressures may not always be a sack, but Hutchinson is still one of the best pass rushers right now – the Cardinals certainly treated him like one.

SAM I am not

I mentioned last week how important Derrick Barnes was to the Lions’ defense, so losing him for an extended period of time could be problematic. Alex Anzalone was already out with a concussion, and Barnes left the game with a knee injury, another blow to their linebacker corps. The trio of Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are more than capable of stepping in and stepping up at linebacker, but the Lions could be missing a true SAM.

After failing to find success with James Houston, Matthieu Betts and Mitchell Agude at SAM linebacker, the roster was essentially just Barnes. His injury led the Lions to turn to Reeves-Maybin and Ben Niemann, but the coaching staff has a difficult decision to make going forward. If Barnes is out for a while, who will fill the void — if they fill it at all? Will Houston, who is often inactive early in the season, get another chance? Will they bet on Niemann, who they turned to in a pinch? Could they give the recently reacquired Trevor Nowaske an extended look at SAM, a position he played in college? Could Mitchell Agude or Isaac Ukwu be called up from the practice squad? Or would they simply consider eliminating the position and using pass rushers like Marcus Davenport in a more traditional role?

Numerous penalties

With Detroit playing close games every week, they can’t afford to give away free yards. Nine penalties for 79 yards was the final score for the Lions on Sunday, far from their cleanest performance. Terrion Arnold was assessed another pass interference penalty, Carlton Davis was penalized for a penalty of his own, Josh Paschal received a (fairly weak) penalty for roughing the passer, while Jalen Reeves-Maybin added a penalty for unnecessary roughness and uncomfortable roughness. The Lions also added four uncharacteristic “false start” penalties, even for an away situation.

Arnold in particular has been penalized five times this season, but there is still some optimism. Figuring out what the refs will and won’t call is part of the NFL’s learning curve. Arnold’s coverage has been tight, and he puts himself in positions to break up plays. He just needs to improve his approach to coverage, like turning his head in anticipation or better controlling his arm position. Hopefully, he will correct those types of mistakes as he grows and gains experience.

The NFC North looks strong… except for Chicago

The road to the NFC North title was never going to be a walk in the park, but after Sunday’s games, there are some concerns about Detroit’s competition.

The Chicago Bears have been treading water and are not in this conversation, but the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have excelled to start the season. Green Bay has two wins thanks to excellent coaching and defense, with Malik Willis filling in for the injured Jordan Love. The Vikings, also missing their young quarterback, look dangerous with Sam Darnold at the helm. They are one of the few undefeated teams in the league, having just crushed the highly touted Houston Texans. The 34-7 scoreline shows what is working for Minnesota right now: excellent defense and an explosive offense.

The Lions arguably have the best roster in the division when healthy, but over the last three games they haven’t looked like the dominant favorites they were billed as. It could be tough down the stretch, but it’s not a lost cause. If the offense gets going and the defense holds up, there are few teams in the NFL that can outwork the Lions.