Jared Goff started strong on Sunday, easily passing against the Arizona Cardinals’ defense and throwing two touchdowns in the first half.
However, the offense struggled after halftime, and it became time for Detroit’s defense to shine.
Goff completed two touchdown passes, David Montgomery rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown, and the Lions held on to win 20-13 against the Cardinals.
“That’s what makes you feel pretty good — I feel like we can play different types of games,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We can do whatever we need to with special teams, defense, and offense. We’ve just got to find a way to win every week. They can be different every time.”
The Lions continued their strong run against the Cardinals, now 5-0-1 against them since 2017. Detroit’s defense kept Kyler Murray and Arizona from scoring a touchdown in the second half, allowing only one field goal.
Aidan Hutchinson recorded another sack, bringing his total to 6 1/2 for the season in just three games.
Goff completed his first 14 passes before throwing an incompletion in the third quarter. This marked his longest streak without an incompletion to start a game in his nine-year career, and he finished the game 18 of 23 for 196 yards.
Detroit (2-1) went up 20-7 just before halftime with a clever hook-and-ladder play. Goff threw a short pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who then lateraled to Jahmyr Gibbs, who sprinted 20 yards for a touchdown.
“We’ve been working on that one for a while,” Goff said. “I thought that was a good spot to call it.”
Earlier in the drive, the Lions got a break when Goff seemed to throw an interception for a touchdown, but officials ruled the play was stopped just before the snap due to the two-minute warning.
Detroit went into halftime with a 20-10 lead after Arizona’s Matt Prater kicked a 42-yard field goal as time ran out. Goff completed all 12 of his passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Prater later added a 45-yard field goal to narrow Detroit’s lead to 20-13 with 3:52 remaining, but the Lions managed to run down the clock on their next drive. Goff secured the win with an 8-yard run for a first down.
Arizona had several chances to close the gap in the third quarter but failed to make key plays.
The Cardinals (1-2) were advancing early in the third when Murray attempted a deep throw to Marvin Harrison Jr., but the pass fell short and was intercepted by Kerby Joseph in the end zone. This marked Murray’s first interception of the season.
“We had a lot of opportunities to make something happen and win that game,” Murray said. “They made more plays than us. That’s how it goes. But I’m excited about the road ahead.”
Shortly after Murray’s interception, Arizona’s Dennis Gardeck intercepted a pass from Goff, giving the Cardinals good field position at Detroit’s 33-yard line. However, the Lions’ defense stepped up with a fourth-down stop, tackling Murray just short of the first down.
“The second half, man, those stops,” Campbell said. “Stop after stop after stop.”
Murray completed 21 of 34 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Harrison caught five passes for 64 yards.
The Lions started strong with a 7-0 lead on their first offensive drive, moving 70 yards in nine plays. Montgomery scored with a 1-yard touchdown, pushing through the line before falling backward into the end zone.
Arizona quickly answered back, with Murray making some big plays with his legs before connecting with Harrison for a 10-yard touchdown. This was the rookie’s third touchdown catch in the last two games.
Early in the second quarter, St. Brown caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Goff, putting the Lions ahead 13-7.
“We didn’t make enough plays in all three phases, that’s what it came down to,” said Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon. “I did think we battled, we fought. Coming out of halftime, we were resilient. If we keep playing like that, clean up some mistakes, we’ll be back on track.”
