Mathieu: Lions look like they don’t understand offensive system
For me, they just look like they don’t quite understand the system yet. Carson Palmer is completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 1,155 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate have combined for 445 receiving yards and one touchdown while Theo Riddick has 20 receptions. His five touchdowns lead the National Football League, though he doesn’t necessarily agree with his quarterback on there being potential value going forward. “It’s one of those teams, man, that they look out of sync right now”.
Even after the narrow defeat, Arizona is still averaging 39.0 points over the last three weeks and 37.0 for the season, which sits behind only New England (39.6).
However, the only team the Lions have played this season with similarly risky receivers was the Denver Broncos, who exploited cornerback Darius Slay for a couple deep jump balls.
Arizona’s 405.0 yards of total offense per game is fourth, and that could continue against a 25th-ranked Detroit defense surrendering 383.0 per game. The Lions are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games in October and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win. Detroit did two of those three things and played a very competitive game. On Monday night, he made an exchange with Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, the man who illegally batted the ball out of the end zone on the controversial Lions’ final offensive play. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson switched with Peterson after last year’s game in Arizona.
Coach Jim Caldwell is directing his players to look forward rather than dwell.
Matthew Stafford: Familiarity with Cardinals helps a bit on short work week – NBCSPORTS1060.COM Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will face the Arizona Cardinals for the fifth time in his career on Sunday, as Arizona invades Motown for just the second time in their last seven meetings.
“Yeah, we’ve just gotta keep on taking them”, Johnson said. The 90 yards they gained on that closing drive accounted for more than a third of their 256 of offense. The safety isn’t sharing anything specific that he’s picked up in those sessions, but he has picked up on a general problem that does a lot to explain why the Lions haven’t managed to win a game yet this season. On the ground, Ameer Abdullah rushed for 33 yards in 13 attempts. But Peterson has been a Pro Bowler all four of his National Football League seasons and Slay has yet to make the all-star game.
“Well, we need a few big plays, there’s no question about that”, Caldwell told the team’s official website. We’ll take a 3-yard pass that turns into an 80-yard run. “They’re throwing that thing out”. “We have to have a few chunks along the way”. Defensively, Arizona is allowing 18.3 points and 306.8 yards per game.