The Detroit Lions beat the Arizona Cardinals 45-21 at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, and the game turned on one stretch. After falling behind early, Detroit scored 31 unanswered points and never let Arizona back within striking distance.

The Lions were perfect in two high-leverage spots. They scored touchdowns on all 4 red-zone trips, converted all 4 fourth downs and did not turn the ball over.

How It Happened

Arizona struck first. Jacoby Brissett found Teagan Quitoriano for a 2-yard touchdown with 5:06 left in the first quarter, and the Cardinals led 7-0 after one.

The second quarter belonged to Detroit. Jahmyr Gibbs tied it on a 1-yard run out of a no-huddle look, then Goff hit Sam LaPorta for a 38-yard score. Goff found Jameson Williams from 8 yards out, and Jake Bates added a 46-yard field goal with 53 seconds left for a 24-7 halftime lead.

Goff and Williams connected again from 39 yards midway through the third to stretch it to 31-7. Brissett answered with a 13-yard touchdown to Quitoriano, but Goff punched in a 1-yard run late in the quarter to make it 38-14.

Gibbs added a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:03 left in the fourth. Brissett hit Trey McBride for a 9-yard score with 2:11 left, which only set the final margin.

Key Performers

Jared Goff: 3 passing TD (38, 8, 39 YDS), 1 rushing TD (1 YD)
Jahmyr Gibbs: 2 rushing TD (1, 3 YDS)
Jameson Williams: 2 receiving TD (8, 39 YDS)
Jacoby Brissett: 3 passing TD (2, 13, 9 YDS)
Teagan Quitoriano: 2 receiving TD (2, 13 YDS)

DET Passing: 19-30, 249 YDS, 7.5 per pass, 0 INT
DET Rushing: 32 ATT, 163 YDS, 5.1 per carry
ARI Passing: 30-48, 271 YDS, 5.1 per pass, 1 INT
ARI Rushing: 18 ATT, 56 YDS, 3.1 per carry
Total Yards: DET 412 – ARI 327

The ground game separated the teams. Detroit ran for nearly 3 times as many yards as Arizona and picked up 10 first downs on the ground to the Cardinals' 2. Arizona's passing game, meanwhile, managed only about 5 yards per attempt despite 48 throws.

Detroit's pass rush made that harder. The Lions sacked Arizona 5 times, while the Cardinals got to Detroit 3 times.

What It Means

Detroit moves to 3-2, and the win carries weight beyond the standings. The Lions had been a different team away from home, unbeaten at 2-0 in their own building but winless on the road coming into Sunday. This victory brings them to 1-2 on the road.

A 24-point road win with no turnovers and a perfect red-zone day is the kind of showing that travels.

Arizona falls to 1-4 and is still looking for its first home win at 0-2 in Glendale. The Cardinals moved the ball through the air and converted 8 of 18 third downs, but without a running game they could not keep pace once Detroit got rolling.