Man, you gotta see what went down in the desert. The Arizona Cardinals got absolutely shelled by the Detroit Lions, dropping a brutal 45-21 loss. Twenty different players hit the field for at least one of those 66 defensive snaps, but clearly, it wasn’t enough to slow down the Lions’ attack. And on special teams, 34 players got in on the action for at least one of their 32 snaps. The snap counts are out, and the numbers are pretty telling about where things are going sideways.
Roy Lopez Balling Out While The Defense Melts Down
It’s wild, even with the defense giving up 30-plus points in four straight games, some guys are still doing work out there. Nose tackle Roy Lopez is legit, playing stellar ball. He tied for third on the team with six tackles, including three solo tackles and two for loss. Plus, he snagged a sack and a quarterback hit! That’s massive for a nose tackle, but it’s getting totally buried in the mess of these high-scoring losses.
Defensive linemen Walter Nolen III saw 43 snaps and had four assisted tackles, while Dante Stills, with 35 snaps, chipped in three tackles, two solo and one for loss. L.J. Collier got 30 snaps and had three tackles, one solo, and Darius Robinson, on 24 snaps, had two solo tackles and two QB hits.
Over at linebacker, Mack Wilson Sr. was in on every single defensive snap, all 66 of ’em. He was second on the team with seven tackles, three solo, but man, he got hit with a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty that directly led to the Lions’ first touchdown. That’s a gut punch. On the flip side, Baron Browning had one of his better games, notching a sack/fumble, though the Lions recovered it, and adding another forced fumble and a QB hit, along with four tackles. Josh Sweat got three tackles, but that was about it for him. Jack Gibbens had three assisted tackles, and Zaven Collins and Eku Leota each had two tackles, one solo.
Secondary Gashed, But Baker’s Still Laying Hits
The secondary saw a ton of action, with safety Budda Baker leading the charge for 65 of 66 snaps. He absolutely stuffed the stat sheet, leading the entire team with 11 tackles, six solo, and one for loss. He even got a 12-yard sack on the Lions’ very first possession of the game and a quarterback hit. This dude is still an absolute force out there.
But it wasn’t all good news. Corner Denzel Burke had six tackles, two solo. Max Melton got three tackles, two solo, and one pass defensed. And Garrett Williams? He got completely lost in coverage, giving up a brutal 39-yard touchdown reception to Jameson Williams. That’s the kind of play that just kills momentum. With Wydett Williams Jr. sidelined with a concussion, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson stepped up big, nabbing five tackles, four solo. Kei’Trel Clark also chipped in an assisted tackle and a pass defensed.
This isn’t a one-off problem for the Cardinals defense, it’s four straight games where opponents have scored at least 30 points. They’ve got to tighten things up on that side of the ball, and fast, or it’s gonna be a long season for the desert birds.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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