Lions click on offense, hold off Cardinals, 20-13

GLENDALE, Ariz.— The Detroit Lions' first road game of the season felt like a home game.

Riding the momentum of a State Farm Stadium crowd flush with Honolulu Blue, the Lions limited an explosive Arizona Cardinals offense and got back in the win column Sunday with a 20-13 victory.

Detroit's defense stifled a Cardinals offense that was second in the league in total points and seventh in yardage entering Sunday. The Cardinals were 1 for 9 on third down and accumulated 275 yards of offense, as the Lions held Arizona's running backs to 32 yards on 13 attempts.

The Lions ran the ball at will on an Arizona rushing defense that ranked ninth in the league entering Sunday. Jahmyr Gibbs had 83 yards on 16 carries (5.2 average) and David Montgomery had 106 on 23 (4.6). Gibbs added a touchdown on a second-quarter hook-and-ladder that gave the Lions a 20-7 lead with 29 seconds left in the first half.

Excluding a third-quarter interception, Lions quarterback Jared Goff had his best game of the young season. He finished 18 for 23 for 198 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown

But it wasn't without a cost. Linebacker Derrick Barnes (knee) and defensive tackle Alim McNeill (shoulder) were knocked out of the game with injuries, while tight end Sam LaPorta (ankle) was carted to the locker room to end the first half but returned intermittently in the second. Brian Branch was involved in a scary head-to-head collision with 5:57 left in the game that forced him out for the remainder of the contest.

Lions punter Jack Fox displayed excellence, delivering boots that gave the Cardinals starting field position at the 2-, 12-, 9- and 6-yard lines.

The Lions held a 20-10 lead over the Cardinals entering halftime. The Cardinals were the first team to score in the second half as ex-Lions kicker Matt Prater put home a 45-yard field goal with 3:48 left in the game, but the Lions were able to run out the clock on their ensuing possession despite getting behind the sticks because of a false start penalty on Penei Sewell.

St. Brown caught a crucial 17-yard pass on third-and-11, which took the game into the two-minute warning. The Lions were able to ice the game from there behind an eight-yard run from Goff

The Lions used a good mix of run and pass to move down the field for a 7-0 lead on the opening drive. Montgomery had more yardage on the Lions' first series (39 yards on six carries) than he did the entire week prior against Tampa Bay (35 on 11 carries) and was ultimately the touchdown scorer for Detroit on a 1-yard run, his third 1-yard rushing touchdown of the season.

Arizona marched right down the field on its own opening series, a drive that cost the Lions two important players, as defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike and cornerback Terrion Arnold both came off the field with injuries. Kyler Murray tied the game with a 10-yard touchdown to Marvin Harrison Jr. over cornerback Carlton Davis at 5:08 in the first quarter.

The Lions regained a lead with a 13-play drive, on which they converted four third downs, including a 20-yard catch by St. Brown, a 14-yard run by Gibbs, and a 5-yard touchdown toss to St. Brown for a 13-7 advantage with 12:27 left in the second quarter after Lions kicker Jake Bates missed the extra point.

The Lions caught a massive break on their final possession before halftime. Goff was hit while getting rid of the ball on third-and-12, and his pass deflected off a lineman before being intercepted and returned the other way for a pick-six — the only thing was, the whistle had blown because the Lions couldn't get the snap off before the two-minute warning, rendering the play dead. Gibbs instead took a handoff on third-and-12 and moved the chains with a 14-yard gain.

Not wanting to waste their luck, the Lions ran a hook-and-ladder play that went for a 21-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left in the first half. Goff threw a completion to St. Brown, St. Brown pitched the ball to Gibbs, and Gibbs went off to the races for a score to go up, 20-7. The touchdown came at a cost, though, as tight end Sam LaPorta was hurt on the play and carted to the locker room moments later.

The Cardinals were able to chip into the deficit before halftime, thanks in part to a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty on Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin — who was in the game because the Lions are banged up at linebacker — that put the Cardinals first-and-10 at the Detroit 46-yard line with 23 seconds left in the half. With a couple more quick completions, Arizona set up for a 42-yard field goal by Matt Prater that trimmed the Lions' lead to 20-10 to end the first half.

Arizona got the ball to start the second half and quickly moved into Lions territory. But after a 7-yard run by running back James Conner, the Cardinals tried to catch the Lions off-guard and quickly went to the line for another play and Murray ended up throwing a ball to Harrison Jr. in the end zone that was intercepted by Kerby Joseph, his second interception of the season.

The Lions had a chance to add to their lead when taking over at their own 43-yard line with 8:53 in the third quarter, but instead, Goff was intercepted by Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck on a pass to Brock Wright over the middle — just his second incompletion of the day — to give the Cardinals first-and-10 at the 33-yard line of Detroit.

The Lions' defense had Goff's back by stopping the Cardinals short of the sticks on fourth-and-1. Officials initially ruled it a first down for the Cardinals but Lions head coach Dan Campbell threw the challenge flag and the call was reversed.

With the Cardinals trailing, 20-10, and 11:12 left in the game, Arizona took a big swing to flip the momentum by trying to convert a fourth-and-7 that was swatted away by Joseph for a turnover on downs.

____