A win's a win, and that's certainly the case for the Detroit Lions after smacking down the lowly Arizona Cardinals ahead of the bye week.
To say that this game was a must-win is not an exagerration. The Lions were in sore need of a great outing from their secondary, in addition to a far more efficient contest from their offense. After a particularly rough start from the latter portion of the team, they ended up routing the Cardinals.
There wasn't too much to takeaway from this game outside of some very obvious points.
6 takeaways from Lions' much-needed win over Cardinals
1. Jahmyr Gibbs' blitz pickups were glorious, and point-generating
Gibbs - who took the record for most touchdowns scored at the age of 25 or younger with 58 scores, beating Lions legend Barry Sanders for the honor - also had an underrated game in pass protection. There were two specific blitz pickups that lead to major yards for tight end Sam LaPorta, with one resulting in LaPorta's lone touchdown reception on the day.
Gibbs' weakness is basically just his inability to be a solid pass blocker, but with everything else the Lions ask of him, you can't really blame the star for both not wanting ot risk his body, and for not having the same strength as someone like David Montgomery, or even Sione Vaki. He's small and fast, not bulky and wrecking ball-esque.
He continues to be the Lions' biggest engine on offense this season - as expected.
2. Sam LaPorta should probably be a priority for the Lions FO
LaPorta, as mentioned, had a solid contest - 88 receiving yards on five receptions and a touchdown, with some great pass blocking to boot. He's been stellar to start this season, and it feels like his dominance might be gassed just a smidge by his need for a new contract with the Lions.
Detroit can't keep watching performances like this, though, and continue to not meet LaPorta where he's at at the negotiating table. He's such a vital piece of the Lions' offense as a player who will grind out 3rd down attempts and do the dirty work with no complaints.
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown's drop problems should get as much focus as Jameson Williams'
St. Brown had a tough time holding onto the football today, and he's very lucky that the Lions were playing very heads up throughout the afternoon.
The receiver had two fumbles - one after a punt return that almost led to a total momentum shift in the Cardinals' favor, and another on a simple reception that was recovered by Tate Ratledge. Ratledge was slow to get up off the fumble recovery, putting even more emphasis on the importance of ball security - players risk injuring their own teammates.
Williams, on the other hand, had his first multiple receiving touchdown game of his career in Week 5. He was unbelievably solid downfield for Jared Goff, while St. Brown took time to get into a rhythm. He has to work as much on his ball security as Williams, truth be told.
4. Man coverage was the answer in this contest
The Lions looked excellent in coverage for most of this game, but were relentlessly hunted when the Cardinals had a tight end downfield - more on that in a moment. Detroit, and specifically Roger McCreary, looked so much more comfortable playing man than zone in this game, which led to him picking up six pass deflections on the day.
Kelvin Sheppard deserves some props for adjusting in this contest, as he's been pretty stuck in his ways calling a zone defense since Week 1.
5. Lions still can't stop tight ends
Tight ends remain a huge weakness for this Lions defense. All three touchdowns that the Lions gave up to the Cardinals were to tight ends, and two were to a tight end that hadn't recorded a reception since 2023 prior to this game. That's...kind of jarring. And, it makes for nine total touchdowns given up to tight ends on the year.
Linebackers continue to struggle to contain elite tight ends this year, and it's placing a lot on the shoulders of Jack Campbell as a result. Campbell did look solid against Trey McBride, but he was on the unfortunate end of a highlight-reel touchdown reception courtesy McBride at the end of the game.
This feels like a personnel issue for the Lions, who are forcing Campbell into deeper coverage this year.
6. Let's not take Jared Goff for granted
You really can't say enough about the season that Goff is having so far in 2026.
He has 1,485 pass yards, 12 passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and zero interceptions. He's not avoiding throwing downfield, nor is he shying away from tighter coverage on his passes. He's looked stellar in the pocket, and despite a slow start from him and the offensive line in this game, he managed to make Detroit's offense look as elite as they really are.
Goff may not be the most mobile or the most creative, but he is razor-sharp with his decision making on the field and limits mistakes to near-zero.
Add us as a preferred source on Google