Spot the Ball: 10 Thoughts Ahead of Lions Matchup Against Cardinals

The Detroit Lions are entering a pivotal matchup ahead of their bye week.

With two divisional opponents looming after the Week 6 bye, the Lions have a chance to build some momentum before their break. They take on the Arizona Cardinals Sunday with a chance to get back over .500 before their week off.

Here are 10 thoughts on the Lions' Week 5 battle with the Arizona Cardinals.

Player to watch

The Lions' secondary has really struggled throughout the early part of the season, with D.J. Reed wearing plenty of criticism because of his slow start. Reed was expected to be the team's top shutdown option, but hasn't lived up to expectations through the start of his tenure dating back to last season.

Against a Cardinals offense with some threats on the outside, Reed has a chance to regain some mojo and quiet his critics. If Reed can be consistent in his coverage on the boundary this week, it could go a long way toward the defense rebuilding some momentum heading into the bye week.

Slowing McBride

Arizona's Trey McBride is one of the top tight ends in the NFL, and he's enjoyed a solid start to the season. Through four games, McBride leads the Cardinals with 33 catches and is second with 242 receiving yards.

Detroit has struggled to cover tight ends throughout the start of the season, allowing 37 catches for 407 yards and six touchdowns through four games. If Kelvin Sheppard can't find an answer, it could be a long afternoon for the defense yet again.

Can Campbell find groove?

Jack Campbell signed a four-year contract extension prior to the season with the expectation that he would be an anchor for the defense. However, the linebacker hasn't performed at a high enough level through the first quarter of the season.

Campbell has struggled in coverage and hasn't been as impactful against the run after an All-Pro season last year. He's a big part of the team's weekly gameplan as the defensive play-caller, and needs to find his groove quickly amidst the defense's struggles.

Fixing the defense

Detroit's defense ranks in the bottom-third of the league in many defensive categories, including last in yards allowed, second-to-last in points allowed and last in passing yards per game. In a passing-oriented league, these stats are troubling for a team with aspirations to compete for a title.

Sheppard has had to endure plenty of criticism with these results, and the pressure is on for him to find answers with the bye week looming.

One potential option could be for the Lions to blitz Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The veteran has struggled against the blitz this year, and starting left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is out for the season with an injury.

Detroit also could have help coming in the near future. Brian Branch returned to practice Wednesday, and while it's too soon to say he could be back for the team's matchup with the Cardinals, getting him back after the bye seems to be a safe bet.

Running wild

The Cardinals invested heavily in their run game this offseason, with the most notable addition being the selection of running back Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame. Through his first four games, Love has notched 223 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Detroit's run defense has struggled throughout the start of the season, with the lack of a safety presence being a big part of their issues. While the Cardinals have had a lot of success on perimeter runs, the Lions have struggled to defend them.

As a result, Detroit will need their defensive backs to step up in a big way to eliminate what has been a major statistical disadvantage for them through the first four weeks of the season.

Road woes

The Lions are 0-2 to start the year in road games, and have lost five of their last six away from Ford Field dating back to last season. They won the season finale last year in Chicago, but had losses to Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Minnesota in their road games before that.

Detroit has played each of their first two road games in primetime, and Sunday's will be at 4:25 in Arizona. As they prepare for a second-straight road game prior to the bye, Campbell's team has a chance to generate some positive mojo after a difficult start on the road.

Petzing returns to Arizona

It will be a homecoming for Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. The Lions hired him this offseason after he had spent the last three years calling the offense for the Cardinals, so Sunday will be the first time he's visited Arizona as a guest since his tenure ended.

Petzing was part of Jonathon Gannon's coaching staff, who was let go after last season and replaced by Mike LaFleur. In his first game against his former team, Petzing could have some tricks up his sleeve.

Best-case scenario

For the Lions to enter the bye week on a significant high, they need the defense to shed some of their early struggles and put together a complete performance. In the best-case scenario, the defense generates multiple turnovers and Aidan Hutchinson wreaks havoc.

Meanwhile, the offense capitalizes on their chances and converts takeaways into touchdowns. Goff remains efficient and turnover-free, leading to a dominant victory to enter the bye week on a positive note.

Worst-case scenario

It's hard to say the passing defense could get worse, but with McBride's presence the linebacking corps could get thrashed if the scheme isn't on point. The worst-case scenario would be Brissett having a dominant outing, connecting with McBride for big gains to set up touchdowns.

Offensively, the Lions have been conservative albeit turnover free. In this scenario, the turnover bug finally bites them and leads to another insurmountable deficit despite another late push from Goff and company.

Bold prediction

For my Week 5 prediction, I'm rolling with Christian Izien to generate his first takeaway of the season. After missing the season-opener, Izien has proven to be a nice addition for the Lions' defense throughout the last three games.

The former Buccaneer has some versatility, and could find his way into an impactful moment by picking off a pass from Brissett in a pivotal point in Sunday's game.

Add us as a preferred source on Google