The Detroit Lions defense impresses on the road game in Arizona

FIRST DOWN: DEFENSIVE DAY

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had a perfect passer rating (158.3) in a clean sweep of the Rams last week. A week later, Murray (76.5) didn’t even manage half of his perfect rating against a Lions defense that really came up big this week and helped Detroit rebound by beating the Cardinals 20-13 on the road.

“(Aaron Glenn) AG had a hell of a plan,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the win. “I thought the guys on defense really played outstanding. I thought the three-and-outs in the second half, the sudden change in offense after the turnover, the defense coming down the field and making a great stop, the fourth down stop, the turnover, everything. It was good.”

The Cardinals averaged 34.5 points per game on Sunday, but against the Lions they only managed 13, only 277 yards on offense, 77 yards on the run and only 1 of 9 on third downs.

““I think that was our best defensive game I’ve ever been a part of, just collectively,” Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson said. “It’s not like we sacked the quarterback that much. But I think with what they gave us, we executed the game plan really well.”

After scoring 20 points in the first half, the Lions’ offense slacked off in the second half, but the defense held firm and allowed only three points while playing an excellent complementary game.

“Our defense is playing really well right now,” said quarterback Jared Goff, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns and a 113.6 passer rating. “That’s three games in a row where they’re doing some good things. We would love to pull the game open and make it a three- or four-score game and end it a lot sooner, but they hung in there and made some plays for us and backed us up when we needed it and at the end of the game we (the offense) were able to finish it off.”

This looks like a top-10 defense in Detroit.