The Detroit Lions hit the road for the first time this season, visiting the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in the their first game at State Farm Stadium since 2020. Detroit (1-1) comes off a narrow 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which saw two fourth-quarter drives with opportunities to score the game-winning touchdown stall.
Arizona (1-1) will host its second game of a three-game home stand in the 70th meeting between the franchises, which Detroit leads 35-28-6. The matchup also marks Arizona’s third consecutive game against a playoff team from last year to start the season.
Cardinals report: Arizona split its first two games of the season with a close six-point loss in Week 1 at Buffalo and a blowout 41-10 victory in Week 2 over their NFC West rival Rams, who Detroit defeated 26-20 in Week 1.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns with a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the win Sunday over Los Angeles. He became the second player in NFL history to have a 158.3 rating with at least 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards. Among all quarterbacks, Murray is tied for second with four touchdowns and tied for fourth with a 122.9 passer rating through two games.
Arizona has averaged 34.5 points per game, which ranks second behind the New Orleans Saints. The Cardinals’ offense is fueled by other offensive weapons in running back James Conner and rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who both already have two touchdowns on the year. Tight end Trey McBride leads the team with 11 receptions on 15 targets.
Veteran safety Budda Baker leads the Arizona defense with 18 total tackles, including three tackles for loss. The Cardinals are one of nine teams who have yet to record an interception, but have recovered two fumbles, which is tied for first in the league with seven teams.
Last meeting: In Week 15 of the 2021 season, Detroit cruised to a 30-12 victory over the Cardinals at Ford Field, picking up their second win of the season. Quarterback Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, including one to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to help build a 17-0 halftime lead. St. Brown led all Detroit receivers with eight receptions for 90 yards, while running back Craig Reynolds added 112 yards on 26 attempts on the ground.
Quick hits:
1. The Lions have not lost to the Cardinals since 2015 with four wins and one tie (2019) in that stretch.
2. Since the introduction of the new kickoff this season, Arizona’s DeeJay Dallas is the lone player in the league with a kick return for a touchdown, running one back for 96 yards in Week 1 vs. Buffalo.
3. Murray completed 81 percent of his passes vs. the Rams, the second highest mark in his career and seventh in franchise history with a minimum of 20 pass attempts