NFL Game Recap - Detroit at Arizona
Sun Sep 27, 2020 4:25 PM EDT

MIA
31
JAX
13
F
HOU
21
PIT
28
F
CIN
23
PHI
23
F OT
SF
36
NYG
9
F
LV
20
NE
36
F
TEN
31
MIN
30
F
WAS
20
CLE
34
F
LAR
32
BUF
35
F
CHI
30
ATL
26
F
CAR
21
LAC
16
F
NYJ
7
IND
36
F
DAL
31
SEA
38
F
TB
28
DEN
10
F
DET
26
ARI
23
F
GB
37
NO
30
F
KC
34
BAL
20
F
DEN
37
NYJ
28
F

Sep 27, 2020, 4:25 PM EDT

Final

1

2

3

4

T

Detroit (1-2)

3

14

3

6

26

Arizona (2-1)

7

6

10

0

23

Lions snap 11-game losing streak, beat Cardinals 26-23
Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:43 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) It was the kind of moment that had stymied the Detroit Lions so many times during their 11-game losing streak: A potential game-winning play, a gut-punch penalty that reversed it and the realization that nothing was going to come easy.

But Matthew Stafford has seen a lot during his 12 seasons in the NFL. He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.

"I've been doing this a long time," Stafford said. "I feel real comfortable in that situation. I love it."

Stafford calmly led a drive in the final minutes that was capped by Matt Prater's 39-yard field goal as time expired, and the Lions won for the first time in 11 months by beating the Arizona Cardinals 26-23 on Sunday.

The Lions looked like they would take the lead with about two minutes left when Stafford completed a spectacular deep pass to Marvin Hall at the 1-yard line, but the play was called back when offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai was flagged for holding.

For a moment, it felt like another Detroit disaster was in the works.

Not this time. Prater made his 15th game-winning kick with less than 2 minutes to play in the fourth quarter or overtime.

"I'm happy for him. He's as clutch as they get," Stafford said. "He loves that moment. That moment has Matt Prater written all over it."

It was also a big win for embattled coach Matt Patricia, who is now 10-24-1 record in two-plus seasons. Patricia's defense made life tough for Kyler Murray, who had three interceptions.

"I'm really proud of the players," Patricia said. "Give all the credit to them."

Murray threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score. DeAndre Hopkins caught 10 passes for 137 yards and Andy Isabella had two TD receptions.

"There is going to be adversity every game. That is part of it," Murray said. "We understand that. Obviously I feel like if I don't turn the ball over three times today, we put ourselves in a better chance to win that game."

Arizona (2-1) pushed ahead 23-20 near the end of the third quarter when Murray connected with Isabella from 4 yards out for the pair's second score. The 5-foot-9, 188-pound Isabella had a slow start last season as a second-round pick out of UMass but has become an important piece of the offense this year.

Duron Harmon, Jamie Collins and rookie Jeff Okudah had Detroit's interceptions.

"Our defense played outstanding, getting three turnovers for us. We should have scored 40," Stafford said.

Detroit (1-2) took a 17-13 lead on Kenny Golladay's 15-yard TD catch with 31 seconds left before halftime. Golladay, who led the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns last year, missed the first two games of this season with a hamstring injury.

Golladay's catch capped an entertaining first half that saw the teams trade the lead five times. Murray had another highlight-reel touchdown run, juking past Detroit's Okudah for a 1-yard score and a 13-10 lead.

"You can see how dangerous he is when he gets out in space," Patricia said. "There were a couple plays, we had a couple missed tackles on him. He's got unbelievable quickness and unbelievable acceleration. Obviously, it was a big priority for us to make sure that we did the best we could to stop him."

A first-half interception by Murray gave Detroit the ball at the Arizona 27. Six plays later, the Lions took a 10-7 lead when Stafford hit Jesse James for a 5-yard score.

"We didn't play particularly well. I think you can see that," Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "It starts with me not getting them ready to play. I didn't call a very good game. We turned the ball over three times. They didn't turn it over any. Twelve men on the field, things of that nature.

"That is what will get you beat and that is what happened today."

Adrian Peterson had a 27-yard run on his first carry of the game to push Detroit into Arizona territory, leading to a field goal. The 35-year-old Peterson, who is in his 14th NFL season, played six games for the Cardinals in 2017.

The Cardinals went ahead 7-3 when Murray's perfectly placed, high-arcing throw went over two Detroit defenders and into Isabella's hands.

FACES IN THE CROWD

The Cardinals allowed family members and friends of players and coaches to watch the game at State Farm Stadium. The crowd was limited to less than 750 people and was spaced out behind the Cardinals' bench.

NATIONAL ANTHEM

The Cardinals stayed in the locker room for the national anthem for a third straight week. Most of the Lions lined up along the end zone, with some kneeling and others standing.

INJURIES

Cardinals: S Budda Baker (thumb) played with his right hand wrapped. NFL Network reported that Baker is expected to have surgery on the thumb next week and will likely miss at least one game. ... S Chris Banjo (hamstring) left the game early in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Lions: Host the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.

Cardinals: At the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.

---

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL

Passing

DET Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat Sk
M. Stafford 31 22 71.0 2 270 27 0 119.0 4
ARI Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat Sk
K. Murray 35 23 65.7 2 270 30 3 72.3 1

Rushing

DET Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
A. Peterson 22 75 3.4 27 0
K. Johnson 3 16 5.3 9 0
ARI Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
K. Drake 18 73 4.1 15 0
K. Murray 5 29 5.8 13 1

Receiving

DET Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
K. Golladay 6 57 9.5 19 1
T. Hockenson 4 53 13.3 27 0
ARI Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
D. Hopkins 10 137 13.7 30 0
A. Isabella 4 47 11.8 26 2

Team Stats Comparison

DET ARI
Points For 26 23
Total Yards 322 377
Rushing Yards 90 109
Passing Yards 232 268
Passing Completions / Attempts 22/31 23/35
Turnovers 0 3
Interceptions Thrown 0 3
Fumbles - Lost 0/0 0/0
First Downs 22 28
Rushing Touchdowns 0 1
Passing Touchdowns 2 2
Penalties - Yards 7/46 7/38
Time Of Possession 32:50 27:10
Third Down Conversions/Attempts 4/12 4/10
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts 1/1 1/1
Red Zone Conversions/Attempts 2/6 3/3
Sacks Against 4 1
Punts - Average Yards 4/56 2/46
Punt Returns - Average Yards/Punt Return 1/19 0/0
Kickoff Returns - Average Yards/Kickoff Return 2/24 5/20

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter DET ARI
DET 06:33 FG Matt Prater 37 yd FG 3 0
ARI 14:46 TD Andy Isabella 13 yd pass from Kyler Murray (Zane Gonzalez kick) 3 7
2nd Quarter DET ARI
DET 08:45 TD Jesse James 5 yd pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick) 10 7
ARI 13:07 TD Kyler Murray 1 yd run (missed kick) 10 13
DET 14:29 TD Kenny Golladay 15 yd pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick) 17 13
3rd Quarter DET ARI
ARI 03:41 FG Zane Gonzalez 54 yd FG 17 16
DET 09:33 FG Matt Prater 24 yd FG 20 16
ARI 14:25 TD Andy Isabella 4 yd pass from Kyler Murray (Zane Gonzalez kick) 20 23
4th Quarter DET ARI
DET 08:16 FG Matt Prater 35 yd FG 23 23
DET 15:00 FG Matt Prater 39 yd FG 26 23

Game Information

Stadium: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Attendance: 0
Game Time: 3:0
Weather: