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Wired for Sound: Jahmyr Gibbs Mic'd Up
Take a listen to Jahmyr Gibbs before he breaks free for a touchdown.
(FOX 2) - It was a slow start for the Lions, but no one will remember that on Monday when they look at the box score and see the game ended 45-21.
Detroit shook off the start by scoring 31 straight points to roll past the Arizona Cardinals.
After falling behind 7-0 early, the Lions offense erupted. Three straight touchdowns, and a field goal made it 24-7 at halftime, and the route was on from there.
Jahmyr Gibbs had 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He added 56 receiving yards to end with 207 yards from scrimmage. Jared Goff threw for 3 touchdowns, and 271 yards and the Lions never looked back. Jameson Williams had 2 receiving touchdowns on two catches for 47 yards. Sam LaPorta had the other touchdown to go with his 88 receiving yards.
Arizona (1-4) has lost nine straight home games, a streak that’s lasted more than a year.
Gibbs barreled into the end zone on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and added a 3-yard TD run in the fourth, bouncing off the offensive line before reversing field and finding room to run. The three-time Pro Bowl selection has scored an NFL-record 58 touchdowns before his 25th birthday, passing Lions great Barry Sanders, who had 57.
It was a disappointing, weird afternoon for the Cardinals, who finalized a trade to send Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans in the middle of the first quarter. Harrison was one of the team’s five inactives against the Lions and wasn’t seen at the stadium.
The No. 4 overall pick in 2024 out of Ohio State has been a major disappointment in the desert and he had just five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown through four games this season.
But the non-Harrison version of the Cardinals wasn’t any better Sunday.
Arizona took an early 7-0 lead after a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jacoby Brissett to tight end Teagan Quitoriano, but right about the time news of the Harrison deal started spreading, the momentum shifted.
Detroit scored three straight touchdowns and a field goal to take a 24-7 lead into halftime. Tight end Sam LaPorta caught the second of the three TDs, finding himself wide open for a 38-yard catch and run.
Williams added a 39-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter on a perfectly-thrown ball by Goff, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 279 yards. Goff also ran for a 1-yard touchdown.
While the Lions were piling up points, the Cardinals had five straight three-and-out drives during the first half, gaining just 12 total yards. On the sixth drive, Brissett threw an interception that ended the second quarter.
It was a better performance by the Lions’ defense, which came into Sunday giving up 31.8 points per game to rank No. 31 in the NFL.
Brissett completed 29 of 47 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He is 2-15 as the team’s starter since taking over for Kyler Murray last season.
Quitoriano finished with two receiving touchdowns, adding a 13-yard catch in the third quarter. Trey McBride also had a 9-yard TD catch late in the fourth quarter.
Injuries
Lions: LB Devin White (forearm) and KR/PR Tom Kennedy (knee) both left the game and didn’t return.
Cardinals: S Wydett Williams Jr. (concussion) was hurt late in the first half.
Up next
Lions: Host Green Bay on Oct. 25.
Cardinals: At the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.