Through 30 minutes of gameplay, the Lions have clearly looked like a better team than the Cardinals.
The scoreboard reflects it, too, as Detroit holds a 17-0 lead.
The Cardinals ran just three plays for 5 yards in the first quarter, as the Lions ran an effective ball-control offense.
But Arizona got things going a little bit in the second period, driving all the way down to the Detroit 3-yard line. After quarterback Kyler Murray fired incomplete on third-and-goal from that spot, the Cardinals elected to go for it instead of kick a field goal. But Murray’s pass over the middle to receiver Antoine Wesley also fell incomplete — leaving the Cardinals scoreless.
On the ensuing drive, quarterback Jared Goff had to exit the game after Arizona committed back-to-back roughing the passer fouls. He was out for only one play after his leg was rolled up on.
A few plays later, Goff fired a 22-yard touchdown to his once-and-current teammate receiver Josh Reynolds to give Detroit a 17-0 lead.
Goff had a strong first half, as he was 15-of-19 passing for 171 yards with a pair of TDs. He also had a perfectly thrown 37-yard touchdown to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown early in the second quarter.
Murray ended the first half 11-of-15 for 91 yards. The Cardinals had only six rushing attempts in the first half, with James Conner amassing 8 yards on two carries.
With a chance to clinch a playoff spot, the Cardinals will have the ball to start the second half. But they’ll need to perform a lot better in the final 30 minutes to accomplish that goal.