Game day: How to watch and things to watch for Lions at Cardinals

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Game information

● What: Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals, State Farm Stadium

● When: Sunday, Sept. 22, 4:25 p.m.

● How to watch: FOX (Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale)

● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.

● Line: Detroit -3

● Injury report: Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring) have been ruled out, while linebacker Alex Anzalone (concussion), cornerback Terrion Arnold (illness) and guard Graham Glasgow (knee) are questionable for Sunday.

For the Cardinals, right tackle Kelvin Beachum is questionable with a hamstring strain. No. 3 receiver Greg Dortch (hamstring) and rotations defensive lineman Dante Stills (shoulder) are also questionable.

● Officiating assignment: Brad Rogers’ crew. The group worked two Lions games in 2023, at Baltimore in Week 7 and vs. Minnesota in Week 17

● Last meeting: The Lions beat the Cardinals, 30-12, in Week 15 of the 2021 season.

Coverage from the week

● Three and Out: Meeting a mantra, Hutchinson's breakout and a test of depth

● Campbell says Lions are ‘so close’ to putting it all together

● Film review: Hutchinson’s big day and Reader’s debut

● Film review: What went wrong in the red zone and where is Sam LaPorta?

● What's new with the Cardinals since last matchup with the Lions?

● DFN Podcast with Cardinals play-by-play Dave Pasch and Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike

● Lions’ Hutchinson talks improvement process and pursuit of NFL sack mark

● Coordinator recap: Silver linings, Arnold’s adjustment and a vote against spy defense

● Lions DT Smith hops off Harvard’s pre-med track to pursue NFL career

● 10 thoughts, led by Kerby Joseph’s quiet improvement, to round out the week

● DFN mailbag: Rusty offense, defensive personnel and mobile QB issues

Three things worth watching

● Let’s skip over the obvious concern for Detroit's defense — dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray — and give underappreciated running back James Conner some deserved attention.

Coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his career, the stocky 233-pounder is a key cog for Arizona’s blossoming offense. In 2023, no running back averaged more yards after contact than Conner, and it wasn’t close. He finished with a nearly 17% edge over No. 2 in the category, Brycee Hall of the New York Jets.

Conner is off to another strong start to the 2024 campaign, and he’s coming off a stellar showing in last week's win over the Los Angeles Rams, gaining 122 yards and finding the end zone with 21 carries.

Detroit counters with a run defense that’s potentially better than the group that finished second in the league in yards per game and third in yards per carry allowed a year ago.

With the recent incorporation of outstanding defensive tackle DJ Reader, who made his Detroit debut last week, and the anticipated return of stout edge-setter Marcus Davenport after a one-week absence, we’re looking at a classic case of an unstoppable object running against an immovable force.

● Offensively, the Lions will be looking for quarterback Jared Goff to get on track. For all the talk about Amon-Ra St. Brown not having an impact in Week 1, or tight end Sam LaPorta yet to break through after two games, Goff’s inconsistency is a more important fix to the offense re-establishing itself as one of the league’s best.

Goff has been excellent the past two seasons, operating efficiently within coordinator Ben Johnson’s system. Starting all 34 games, the veteran QB completed 66.2% of his throws and posted a passer rating of 98.6 during that stretch. But he hasn’t been operating at the same level through the first two weeks this year.

Fantasy managers won’t want to hear it, but it doesn’t matter where the ball is going to each week. Detroit has enough weapons that they can put up 30 points without St. Brown, LaPorta or Jameson Williams going off during a given week. But with a completion percentage down around five points, and an interception rate more than double the past two seasons — and fortunate to be that low — the offense will continue to sputter without a return to Goff’s standard level of play.

● We’ve grown accustomed to seeing Lions fans take over opposing stadiums, particularly in cities where there’s a healthy number of Michigan transplants. The greater Phoenix area certainly fits that description, and in the past, we’ve seen 30% or more of that stadium's crowd wearing blue.

But the team’s play-by-play radio voice, Dave Pasch, cast some doubt on a typical commandeering during an interview with the DFN podcast this week.

Admittedly, the Cardinals are a young and exciting team that's generating some buzz after smashing the Rams. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn added this week that he sees similarities to when Detroit was turning the corner with its rebuild.

Will local interest and ticket demand be enough to hold off a Honolulu blue wave? I’m still skeptical.