GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A few thoughts on the Detroit Lions' 14-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
What it means: The Lions continued to have a strong defense, and once again, the Lions’ offense failed them. Detroit only reached the red zone once Sunday and failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season.
This came about because of some rough throws by Matthew Stafford, some bad protection of Stafford by the Lions' offensive line and a lack of creative play-calling on movement downs. Detroit was 5-of-15 on third downs but should have been much better, considering at least two of the Lions’ failed third downs were third-and-short.
The biggest issue for the defense now is the lack of sacks on Drew Stanton. The former Lions’ quarterback wasn't sacked once but was picked off twice.
Stock watch: Rising -- Joique Bell. The running back once again had an inspired game -- even when the rest of his offense couldn’t do much. Bell hurdled defenders, was rarely brought down by the first tackler and again gave evidence he should be the team’s lead running back.
Falling -- Joe Lombardi. The Lions' offensive coordinator had a fairly predictable game plan, including running the ball with fullback Jed Collins on third-and-short. His offense has struggled most of the season, but against a strong Arizona defense, he left them at a loss. It was so bad, the Lions’ offense failed to score a touchdown.
Falling -- LaAdrian Waddle. The right tackle just can’t stay healthy this season. A week after hurting his knee, the second-year pro went down with an ankle injury in the second half and did not return. He was replaced by Cornelius Lucas. It’s a rough time for the right side of the Lions’ offensive line right now.
Back to their old selves: Jim Caldwell has often stressed to his team the importance of limiting penalties -- it’s one of the things he was brought in to help correct. On Sunday, though, that all began to fall apart. Detroit was flagged nine times for 80 yards, including a 15-yard taunting penalty on Julian Stanford late in the game.
Game ball: Joique Bell. The running back did everything he could Sunday; he gained 85 yards on 14 carries against one of the top rushing defenses in the NFL. He also caught three passes for 30 yards and ran hard when the rest of the Detroit offense looked fairly lifeless. Bell looked more and more like the running back he was a season ago, when he ran for 3.9 yards a carry as the complement to Reggie Bush.
What’s next: The Lions continue their two-game road trip by heading to New England on Sunday for a game against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
