Lions film review: How Detroit's defense shut down Cardinals after game-opening TD drive
The Arizona Cardinals came into Sunday’s matchup with the Lions averaging 34.5 points on the young season, having racked up nearly 500 yards in offense in the previous week’s 41-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. So when the Cardinals drove the length of the field for a touchdown on their first possession, it was reasonable to think the Lions could be in for a long day.
Instead, Detroit held Arizona to a pair of field goals the next 10 drives to top the upstart opponent, 20-13. What went wrong during the first drive and how were the Lions able to be so stingy the rest of the way? Let’s look at the tape.
Slow start
After the Lions took the opening kickoff 70 yards in nine plays to jump out to a 7-0 lead, the Cardinals punched back with an eight-play, 70-yard drive of their own.
Two of the biggest gut blows were a pair of runs by quarterback Kyler Murray totaling 34 yards, with the latter digging the opposition out from a first-and-20 hole after a holding infraction.
On the first of two, Murray kept the ball after catching defensive end Aidan Hutchinson giving away the edge while drifting too far inside on the zone-read. The speedy dual-threat turned that opportunity into a 13-yard pickup.
Three snaps later, Murray bolted around the opposite side of the formation when Detroit’s sticky man coverage took away all five of the QB’s receiving options. The rush lane discipline was reasonably good, but a subtle hold by left tackle Paris Johnson on linebacker Derrick Barnes was enough to give the fleet-footed Murray the step he needed to turn the corner for a 21-yard gain.