Cardinals vs. Lions: Full Arizona Game Preview
After a shocking slip-up in Week 4, the Arizona Cardinals will look to get their feet back underneath them against the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon.
Turnovers and an inability to stop the run doomed Arizona against the St. Louis Rams last Sunday, with the Cardinals tasting defeat for the first time during the early 2015 campaign. Losing at home to a division rival is always a momentum killer, especially when you won your previous two games by 65 combined points.
The loss dropped Arizona to 3-1 on the season and narrowed its lead over the Rams and Seattle Seahawks to one game in the NFC West.
Detroit, meanwhile, has yet to find its footing, remaining the league's lone winless team at 0-4. Despite a bevy of big names and big contracts, the Lions rank in the bottom third in the league in both yards for and against.
Click ahead for the full midweek preview.
Date: Sunday, October 11
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
News and Notes
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Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington will handle the running back duties
Up until last week, the Cardinals could've been said to have too many mouths to feed in their offensive backfield. Sunday's performance against St. Louis changed that. According to Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki, Bruce Arians says it won't be difficult figuring out his running back rotation: "No, it's not hard because the young guy sits down."
The young guy, of course, is rookie David Johnson, who fumbled the opening kick return and struggled to get on the same page with Carson Palmer in the passing game against the Rams.
Expect the elder Johnson to be the lead back on Sunday while Ellington takes on more of a role in the passing game. Johnson has been fantastic in Ellington's absence and currently ranks fifth in the league in rushing yards.
Ellington, meanwhile, could benefit from a reduced role, as injuries have nagged at him over the past two seasons. As for David Johnson, arguably the most talented back on the roster, he'll benefit from some tough love and time on the sideline after taking the league by storm in the first two weeks. He'll be back.
Sean Weatherspoon still on the periphery
After seeing limited time in the Cardinals' first three games, Weatherspoon didn't see the field against St. Louis on Sunday. According to ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss, that's not going to change without an injury.
Weatherspoon was signed in the offseason to fill the hole at inside linebacker, but Kevin Minter and safety Deone Bucannon have both played well in the middle. There's no pressing need to make a significant change to a defense that's playing well.
Latest Injury News
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The Cardinals released the following injury list on their official website following Wednesday's practice.
| CB Justin Bethel | Foot |
| S Chris Clemons | Hamstring |
| RB Andre Ellington | Knee |
| TE Darren Fells | Hip |
| LB Alani Fua | Hamstring |
| S Rashad Johnson | Hip |
| WR J.J. Nelson | Shoulder |
| DE Frostee Rucker | Thigh |
| LB LaMarr Woodley | Thigh |
Nelson and Fells were both held out of practice, while the rest were limited participants.
Arians told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday night that Ellington could've played last Sunday against St. Louis, so there's no reason he shouldn't be ready to play against Detroit. As mentioned in the previous slide, he'll rotate with Chris Johnson in the backfield.
Rucker is the big name to circle this week given the limited depth of the Cardinals defensive line. Arizona needs the front three to bounce back in a big way following Todd Gurley's performance on Sunday, so Rucker's effectiveness is paramount.
Fells has been a nice surprise this season, although Jermaine Gresham should be a capable replacement if he's unable to go against the Lions. We'll know more about his status as the week progresses. At the moment, it's not looking great.
Key Matchup
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Patrick Peterson vs. Calvin Johnson
How can you not love this matchup?
From a productivity standpoint, we know where we stand. Peterson and Johnson have combined for five first-team All-Pro nominations since 2011. They've both been at the top of their positions.
But what makes this week extra special is the storyline. Johnson's a fading talent coming off a nightmare game against Seattle, while Peterson is ascending, playing the best football of his life.
Johnson's going to want to make a statement after fumbling away the game for Detroit on Monday. Doing so against Peterson would only make his statement resonate that much more. On the season, he's been limited to only 255 yards and one touchdown.
Peterson, meanwhile, as given up all of four receptions in four games, according to Pro Football Focus.
This is going to be fun.
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3 Things to Watch
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The turnover battle
Entering Week 5, only two teams in the league have a neutral turnover difference—the Cardinals and Lions. That in itself would be a good reason to keep an eye on the turnover battle, but it would ignore what happened last week.
Arizona turned the ball over three times, while the Lions' comeback efforts were thwarted when Calvin Johnson fumbled at the goal line. Holding onto the football is likely to be a point of emphasis for both teams during practice this week, so the impetus will be on both defenses to make plays.
Whichever defense wins that competition could decide the outcome of the game.
Will Carson Palmer be protected?
Yes, this is getting highlighted again.
Palmer was sacked five times against St. Louis and was hit on 10 other occasions. The Rams defensive line is frighteningly good, but that's just too many hits for a 35-year-old quarterback to take.
Arizona doesn't want to sacrifice its offensive identity (and it shouldn't), but it needs to strike some kind of balance if it wants Palmer to last longer than he did last year.
Going up against Detroit's defense won't be a walk in the park. Led by Ziggy Ansah, the Lions are eighth in the NFL with 10 sacks.
Can the Cardinals defense stop the run?
During the second half last Sunday, Todd Gurley and St. Louis' young offensive line pushed around Arizona's defense in a way we haven't seen thus far this season. It was shocking to watch.
The Lions' running game is less impressive than the Rams'—they are, in fact, dead last with 188 yards this year—but it will be interesting to see if they picked up anything to exploit on film.
Prediction: Cardinals 27, Lions 17
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The old (and tired) saying is that "you are what your record says you are." While that can be, by degrees, misleading, it's difficult to ignore the fact the Lions are the league's sole winless team at 0-4.
Detroit is talented, and it probably isn't the league's worst team. Arizona found out last week how easy it is to lose in the NFL.
Expect the Cardinals to come out on Sunday with a renewed sense of purpose. They've set lofty goals, and they can't afford to stumble for a second straight week.
The Lions will put up a good fight as they look to at last get out of their rut, but this won't be the week they earn their first victory.
Check back on Friday night for the full how and why.
Final prediction: Arizona 27, Detroit 17
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