Detroit Lions recover and defeat Arizona Cardinals 20-13

GLENDALE, Arizona – After a hard-fought 20-13 victory at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was pleased with the win but also saw room for improvement to reach the stated goal of a Super Bowl.

“Our defense is playing great. I think we need to score more points as an offense,” St. Brown said after the win over the Arizona Cardinals. “I know it sounds crazy, but we think 20 points as an offense is nice, but in a game like this we need to do (more). … It’s nice to win, but we think we can get a lot better as an offense.”

“There is a lot of room for improvement and we will get better. I don’t think we have to worry too much, but we need to keep improving.”

The Lions (2-1) posted their ninth consecutive win after a loss and have not lost consecutive games since 2022. St. Brown finished the game with seven pass catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, the most on his team. Coach Dan Campbell spoke about the identity of this year’s team after the Lions won their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in overtime and then rebounded from the Sept. 15 loss to Tampa Bay to secure their first road win.

“What I know about this team and what we know about each other is still very much intact and we’re a pretty resilient group and that’s always going to be a part of who we are, I think,” Campbell said. “Because we have the right guys, the right coaches, the right players.”

After three weeks, however, the offense has not taken off as expected and is averaging 20.7 points per game, which ranks 13th in the NFL. The team’s red zone efficiency of 38.5% ranks 25th in the league.

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During the loss to the Buccaneers in Week 2, the Lions went 1 of 7 in the red zone. Those six red zone drives without a touchdown were the most by a Lions team in a game since 1981. The tables turned against the Cardinals when running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery both scored touchdowns after a focus all week on fixing the problem.

In 2023, the Lions finished the season among the top five offensive teams, averaging 27.12 points and posting the third-best red zone efficiency (64.1%) on their way to the NFC Championship Game.

In the visitors’ locker room on Sunday after the victory, the Lions’ offensive players felt that there was still room for improvement.

“There’s always things you have to fix, and I don’t think we’ve played a complete game as an offense yet, and I don’t think that’s a secret,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “But we’re doing some things well, and I think we’re improving in some areas. I think the sky’s the limit for this team if we continue to play complementary football.”

Veteran quarterback Jared Goff completed 18 of 23 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, but threw his fourth interception of the young season in Arizona. According to ESPN Research, Goff’s four interceptions are the most in his team’s first three games of the season in his career. Last year, he threw his fourth interception in just his seventh game.

Meanwhile, the Lions defense nearly gave the Cardinals a shutout in the second half, allowing only three points.

Now the offense has to catch up, but the players were still happy with the win.

“I think it’s also resilience and adaptability, and (to) play different types of games, win different ways, and that was always our way last year too,” Goff said. “I know Dan (Campbell) wants to be versatile, wants to have the ability to win in the air, on the ground and through our defense. Today was kind of a combination of all of that.”