Phoenix, Ariz. — Here are four observations after having a night to ponder the Detroit Lions' 26-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday:
First Down
Coming into Sunday, Detroit’s defense was broken. They couldn’t stop the run, they couldn’t stop the pass, they couldn’t get to the quarterback and they sure as heck weren’t forcing any turnovers. Even in a week-to-week business like the NFL, it was fair to wonder if they’d be able to turn things around this season.
Obviously, they got plenty of things corrected for the Arizona matchup, because outside of rushing the passer consistently, the unit stepped up in a big way against one of the league’s up-and-coming offensive attacks.