Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals: Live Score and Analysis for Arizona

It was a bumpy road for the Arizona Cardinals once again, but they emerge victorious over the Detroit Lions, upping their season record to an NFL-best 9-1 in the process.

Starting in place of the injured Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton looked sharp early. He led touchdown drives on the opening two possessions—both passes to receiver Michael Floyd—and helped the Cardinals convert their first five, third downs.

From then on, however, it was a defensive struggle. Detroit stepped up and hassled Stanton the rest of the way but amazingly did not sack him all afternoon. The offensive line played a heck of a game in pass protection, led by tackles Jared Veldheer and Bobby Massie.

Defensively, coordinator Todd Bowles did a fantastic job of creating pressure on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. With four sacks of the former No. 1 overall pick, the Cardinals now have 10 sacks over the past two games.

Rookie safety Deone Bucannon showed up in a big way, covering rookie tight end Eric Ebron and limiting him to just 22 yards on four receptions.

Fellow safety Rashad Johnson picked off Stafford in the second half to kill a promising drive. Overall, this may have been the best performance we've seen from Bowles' defense this season. Stafford and the Lions offense can explode at any moment, but Arizona limited what Detroit could do all afternoon.

The Cardinals have a firm grip on the NFC West, and they are inching their way closer to locking up a playoff spot.

4th Quarter	1	2	3	4	Score
Lions	3	3	0	0	6
Cardinals	14	0	0	0	14