Lions vs. Cardinals: Jahmyr Gibbs Passes Barry Sanders as Detroit Goes All In for a 45-21 Week 5 Rout

Dan Campbell came to the desert holding a 2-2 team that felt like it was wobbling, and he responded the only way Dan Campbell knows how: he shoved every chip he had into the middle of the table. Fourth-and-1 from the Arizona 38? Throw it. Fourth-and-4 from the 8 with a field goal sitting right there? Throw it again. Fourth-and-goal at the 1? Let the quarterback dive.

All of it worked. The Detroit Lions went 4-for-4 on fourth down, scored on seven straight possessions and buried the Arizona Cardinals 45-21 on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Week 5. Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 151 yards and two scores, and Detroit headed into its bye at 3-2. Arizona fell to 1-4.

From Three Punts to Seven Straight Scores

For a quarter, this looked like trouble. Detroit punted on its first three possessions, and Arizona opened with a 14-play, 73-yard grind that included receiver Michael Wilson throwing a 7-yard pass to quarterback Jacoby Brissett on fourth-and-1. Brissett finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown to tight end Teagan Quitoriano, and the Cardinals led 7-0.

The afternoon was weird before it ever got lopsided. According to the AP, Arizona finalized a trade sending receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston in the middle of the first quarter. Harrison was inactive and was not seen at the stadium.

Then the Lions found the switch. On fourth-and-3 at the Arizona 38, Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 12 yards and an extra 15 for a high hit, and Gibbs scored from a yard out three plays later. On the next drive, LaPorta took a fourth-and-1 throw 38 yards to the house. Goff then found Jameson Williams for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth-and-4, Jake Bates added a 46-yard field goal, and Detroit went to the half up 24-7.

Williams caught a 39-yard bomb in the third, Goff snuck in from the 1 on fourth-and-goal, and Gibbs bounced a 3-yard run all the way back across the formation to make it 45-14. Quitoriano added a second touchdown catch in the third quarter and Trey McBride scored late, but by then Arizona was playing for pride.

Gibbs Passes Barry, Goff Stays Perfect

Gibbs carried 25 times for 151 yards and caught five passes for 56 more. The two scores gave him an NFL-record 58 touchdowns before his 25th birthday, passing Lions legend Barry Sanders, who had 57, according to the AP. "He's unbelievable, he really is," Goff said. "Gosh, he's electric."

Goff was surgical: 19 of 30 for 271 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 125.8 rating, plus the sneak. Per Detroit's website, he has 12 touchdown passes and zero picks, joining Russell Wilson as the only players in league history to start a season's first five games with at least 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions. "Goff is just Goff," Campbell said. "He's as good as they come."

LaPorta caught five passes for 88 yards and was the spark that lit the whole thing. "I thought (LaPorta) was a catalyst today for everything," Goff said. Williams had only two catches, but both went for touchdowns, his first multi-score receiving game.

The defense might have been the bigger story. Cornerback Roger McCreary defended six passes, which per the Lions tied Bryant Westbrook's 2000 mark for the most in a game in franchise history. DJ Wonnum had two of Detroit's five sacks, D.J. Reed made three tackles for loss, and rookie Keith Abney II intercepted Brissett in his first career start at safety. Arizona managed 56 rushing yards.

The Second-Quarter Avalanche

After its opening touchdown, Arizona went three-and-out on five consecutive possessions and gained 12 total yards, and its next trip ended with Abney's pick just before halftime. While that was happening, Detroit stacked three touchdowns and a field goal in one quarter, and two of those touchdowns came on fourth down.

"The important thing is you go all in, no matter what you're going to do," Campbell said. "And either it crumbles or they rise up, but you're going all in."

It was also a sweet return for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who per the Lions' website spent the previous three years as Arizona's offensive coordinator. Call it a homecoming with a scoreboard.

Receipts From the Desert

• 4-for-4: Detroit on fourth down, with three of those conversions going for touchdowns.
• 207: Gibbs' yards from scrimmage.
• 20: Lions sacks through five games, the most in franchise history at this point of a season, per Detroit's website.
• 31.8: Points per game the Lions defense was allowing entering Sunday, according to the AP. Arizona got 21, and seven came after it was 45-14.
• 9: Straight home losses for the Cardinals, per the AP.

A Bye Week Earned, a Spiral Deepened

For the Lions, this was the bounce-back Campbell was hunting after the loss at Carolina. Detroit has scored at least 25 points in all five games, a first in franchise history per its website, and now gets a week off before hosting Green Bay on Oct. 25. The sour note: linebacker Devin White left with a forearm injury, and Campbell said White would likely need surgery.

For Arizona, the hole is getting deep. First-year coach Mike LaFleur has watched his team give up 37 points per game during a four-game losing streak, per the AP, and the spotlight is drifting toward defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Brissett threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns, but he is 2-15 as the team's starter since replacing Kyler Murray last season. LaFleur did not hide from it. "Anytime there's a blowout like this, it starts with coaching," he said. Next up is a trip to the Rams.

All In, and Not Done Yet

Campbell coached this one like a guy who just learned what a parlay is and hit every leg. The Lions do not need him to gamble every week, but on a day the season needed a jolt, the aggression was the point.

The best review came from the man Gibbs passed. In a message the Lions shared on X, Sanders congratulated him and added the line that should scare the rest of the league: "The best part is you're not even near done yet."

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press and DetroitLions.com.