Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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If the 2020 NFL season was a jet ski ride, the Cardinals' pass defense spent the first two games in the no-wake zone.
On Sunday, the water could get choppy.
The Cardinals were fortunate to face a 49ers team in Week 1 that was without receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. In Week 2, they matched up against inexperienced Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
The Lions are a different story, as they boast the talented Matthew Stafford at quarterback and are expected to have a full complement of receivers provided Kenny Golladay (hamstring) continues trending in the right direction.
"In my opinion, this is the best pass offense we're going to see in the first three weeks," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. "They have no problems moving the football at all. We are on high alert."
The Cardinals' biggest weakness a season ago was defending the pass, as they were in the bottom-five leaguewide in yards (281.9 per game), touchdowns (38) and net yards per attempt (7.0) allowed. They gave up a passer rating of 109.9, the equivalent of Pro Bowl production on a weekly basis.
The pass defense has improved across the board through two games in 2020, and there are reasons to be encouraged about the overall product, but a better gauge will come after Sunday.
Stafford threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in last year's 24-24 tie against the Cardinals and has some of the best arm talent in the NFL.
"Matthew Stafford, in my opinion, is one of the best quarterbacks in the league," said outside linebacker Devon Kennard, who was with the Lions in 2018 and 2019. "Playing with him last year, if you looked at what he was doing before he got hurt, you could argue he was on his way to an MVP-type of year. That's the kind of player he is."
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