How low can you go if you're the Arizona Cardinals?
When does it hit bedrock and you can't go any lower? No doubt it was going to be a season full of struggles. Having the toughest schedule in the NFL does that.
Regardless, the on-field product is still a tough pill to swallow. To put salt on the wounds, former offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's Detroit Lions offense was a fine-tuned machine, rolling through a Cardinals defense that had nothing to combat the dishing.
Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs handed Arizona its fourth straight game with 30-plus points allowed this season. The Cardinals fell to a 45-21 Lions rout on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The good, bad and ugly from today's loss:
The Good: Feed The Tight Ends Until You Can't
There aren't too many positives that can come out of blowouts. Still, the Cardinals' tight end has been one of the few bright spots on this team over the past couple of weeks. Trey McBride, like he's always been since coming to the desert out of Colorado State, led Arizona's receivers with nine completions and a garbage-time touchdown to make the final score less eye-watering.
McBride, though, was far from the only tight end to produce for the Cardinals today. Second-string Elijah Higgins went 3-for-3, catching the Cardinals' largest completion -- a 38-yard strike to open the second half.
Out of the trio, no one had a better afternoon than third-string tight end Teagan Quitoriano, who caught his first two receptions of the season, both for touchdowns.
The Bad: Cards' Offensive Line Struggles
Heading into the afternoon against the Lions, the Cardinals' offensive line was averaging 1.5 sacks per game. Not a terrible metric by any means, and certainly livable, especially looking at the defenses they've played so far. Today, Arizona was brutalized up front, allowing a season-high five sacks.
The lack of protection caused the rushing attack to suffer mightily, leading to the Cardinals recording their lowest ground production of the season, 56 yards. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love handled most of the carries, totaling 22 yards on 12 attempts.
The Ugly: Defense Continues To Underwhelm
The Cardinals' defense has become the NFL's pick-me-up for any struggling offense or team looking for a quick stat pad for its candidate for offensive player of the year. It's been a concerning area since the start of the season and has not instilled much confidence going forward.
Arizona held Detroit to three punts and negative 9-yards to open the first quarter. The Lions scored on their next seven drives before punting one final time in garbage time to avoid running up the score with two minutes left on the clock.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff went 19-for-30 for 271 yards, with three passing touchdowns and a goal-line rushing score. Gibbs returned to form, rushing for 151 yards on 25 carries and punching in a pair of touchdowns.
Detroit, following the recipe set by the San Francisco 49ers, relied heavily on tight end Sam LaPorta to attack Arizona's defense. The fourth-year tight end led the Lions' receiving corps with 88 yards on five catches and one very wide open 38-yard touchdown.
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