Cardinals @ Lions
Final Score: Lions 30, Cardinals 12
Writer: Matthew Bevins (@MattQbList on Twitter)
The hapless Lions, just weeks removed from the wonder of a potential winless season are now making some interesting moves, decimating an injury-ravaged Cardinals team. Early on Sunday, this game snuck under the radar and shocked many fantasy fans, as the Lions rolled out their second win under the noses of Kyler Murray and the DeAndre Hopkins’less Cardinals. What does the future bring for the Cardinals, who for the last two weeks have looked shellshocked, talent deprived, and confused? While the Lions have been without DeAndre Swift, Jamaal Williams, and Penei Sewell awaiting activation, the Cardinals seem a lot more hamstrung by their injuries. With a 30-12 trouncing in Detroit, maybe the Lions have a little hope that Dan Campbell is starting to figure things out for this squad. It’s a shame the same can’t be said for Kliff Kingsbury. Let’s dive in.
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
Kyler Murray: 23/41, 257 yards, TD, INT | 4 carries, 3 yards
Colt McCoy: 6/9, 56 yards | 1 carry, 3 yards
Kyler Murray was still getting bandied about as an MVP candidate just weeks ago after spending the entire month of November on the mend. Granted, we can’t fault him for this, as most of the league has been on the mend, but maybe we shouldn’t have anointed him so quickly. Kyler’s rushing prowess has been active and consistent for the previous two games (combining for 120 yards rushing), but the Lions were having absolutely none of that from him on Sunday. Rushing just four times for three yards, and looking belabored at the thought of rushing, Murray rushed for as many yards as his late replacement Colt McCoy.
Now, I’m not going to give up on Murray after a lost season on our plate, but he surely isn’t filling us up for the holidays and may have left many fantasy squads asking for leftovers that may just be unfulfilled. There’s a slight worry that this is something that may plague Murray for his career, but the bigger worry is the inconsistency of rushing yards capping his value. The Lions were quick to swarm him before he could leave the box, and this led to a quick situation that was unrecoverable. He looked almost haunted by the Lions’ defense, which was doing its best Saints or Cowboys pass rushing attack. This is a worrisome week to be a Kyler manager going into the playoffs. On a drive just minutes into the third where the Cardinals likely could have gained some momentum after a forced rushing fumble, Kyler underthrew A.J. Green and likely lost them the entire momentum capacity gained earlier in the quarter.
Things are looking ugly for the #Cardinals, Kyler Murray now throws a pick. What an effort by Amani Oruwariye pic.twitter.com/dgv1rwrjYP
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 19, 2021
Kyler Murray got done dirty lmao pic.twitter.com/tDoP89jqK5
— alex (@highlightheaven) December 19, 2021
Running Backs
Chase Edmonds: 6 carries, 53 yards | 1 target
James Conner: 8 carries, 39 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards
Jonathan Ward: 1 carry, 6 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards
It’s beginning to look like the rushing game in Arizona may at least garner some depth before the end of the regular season, with Chase Edmonds returning from an ankle ailment, the Cardinals rushing attack was up in the air in terms of who would tote the rock. The answer was as per usual: mixed, in carries and results. James Conner ended up with more carries, but Chase Edmonds ended the day with more yards per carry and looked better doing it. Edmonds didn’t look as spry, which is understandable coming back from a notable absence, but this does surely spell some concern for fantasy managers going into the end of playoff matchups or at the very least, beginning of. Conner is their goal line, early-down back, but most would contend Edmonds has the much higher ceiling in fantasy. Adding to the concern is the fact that when things are going as “normal”, Kyler Murray is taking away about 10-15 carries off the table with his own legs.
Wide Receivers
Christian Kirk: 12 targets, 9 receptions, 94 yards, TD
Zach Ertz: 11 targets, 6 receptions, 74 yards
A.J. Green: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 64 yards
Antoine Wesley: 8 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards
Andy Isabella: 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards
Rondale Moore: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 9 yards | 1 carry, 1 yard
The wide receiver crew for Arizona took a major hit when DeAndre Hopkins shelved himself, with the likely acceptance he will undergo surgery that would sideline him for what many beat reporters described as “likely the earliest return would be the NFC championship”. As Hopkins goes, so the Cardinals go. This was showcased this week. While Christian Kirk did his best to step in valiantly, the offensive juggernaut that started the season was mostly derailed by the one-win Lions. It really makes you wonder what is left in the tank for this team, who even went so far as to pull Kyler late in the game when it was out of reach for them.
Kirk, Zach Ertz, and A.J. Green pulled off over 30 targets from Kyler’s arm, but a majority of the tosses were seen to be on the run with Kyler attempting to get away from an oncoming pass rushing attack. Kirk has made the case he’s the number one target for Kyler, as he can make route running work somewhere between the hashes, while also extending out his attack when need be, but it seems that Zach Ertz may even benefit most from the loss of Hopkins, as Kyler spent the large portion of this looking for short targets to alleviate sacks/knockdowns.
Kyler to Kirk closes the gap. #RedSea
📺: #AZvsDET on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/CMoG1mnSE7— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2021
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 21/26, 216 yards, 3 TD
Jared Goff showed off just a little of what excited fans when he was on the Rams in a bit of a showcase against arguably the number two seed in the NFC in the Cardinals. Goff was efficient, while also making passes that I would normally expect to be completed only by players of Kyler Murray‘s level. While this was not a game I would likely expect from Goff on a regular basis, there is maybe hope that this team can gain something out of him in a draft next year spearheaded by mostly defensive squads. Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds for scores, and surely put an exclamation mark on the month of December. Goff used a consistent and varied rushing and passing attack blend, and while there were some of his usual overthrows, there were no capitalized mistakes, as the Cardinals defense was mostly neutralized by short pass offerings when needed, and handoffs to their newly showcased practice squad dynamo Craig Reynolds when needed. Goff is less likely a fantasy quarterback you’d use right now, as much as you can likely look to flex some of his wide receivers, as he may not kill you while he’s on this tear.
Running Backs
Craig Reynolds: 26 carries, 112 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Jermar Jefferson: 5 carries, 9 yards
Godwin Igwebuike: 2 carries, 0 yards, Fumble (Lost) | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
Craig Reynolds. Where do we find these guys?!? As of writing this, I’m white-knuckling a playoff matchup where I likely would have LOVED to have started waiver wire superstar Craig Reynolds over ho-hum Alvin Kamara. Reynolds looks forceful, ferocious, and unafraid of NFL talent, as he absolutely scorched the Cardinals defense for 112 yards on the ground. Reynolds took the starter’s job from potential backfield touch leader Jermar Jefferson after both Swift and Jamaal Williams were declared out last week, and his ascension may just spell the end of the season for both as with Swift, they try and play it safe, and with Williams, they likely would want to see just how much they can get from Reynolds in a lost season. While Williams is signed through next year, the runway could be a lot more illuminated for Reynolds, and someone who could likely please a Lions fanbase that is mired in the ho-hum (see: no wins through well over 10 weeks). Reynolds showed on Sunday that he has dice, he has vision, and while he likely may not be a top 20 rusher in the league, has potential to be a mainstay/backup rusher if he can continue to churn. Exciting to see. Just check out his shift and cut on the play below. Impressive stuff.
CRAIG REYNOLDS IS AN ANIMAL 😤 #OnePride
— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) December 19, 2021
Wide Receivers
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 11 targets, 8 receptions, 90 yards, TD
Josh Reynolds: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 68 yards, TD
Kalif Raymond: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Shane Zylstra: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards
Jason Cabinda: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
Brock Wright: 1 target
Amon-Ra St. Brown was a preseason hype machine. We spent well over a month in the doldrums with him, then decided that we likely needed to cut and be done with him, and now it seems like the former USC standout is ready for another appearance in our fantasy teams and hearts. St. Brown dashed through some coverage on an early game score, and the Lions didn’t look back from that point. It was a “who…wait, what?” of touchdown receivers, but it worked out, as the Lions receiving core outscored the Cardinals three to one.
Josh Reynolds also showed up with another quality PPR output and ended the game with a touchdown score as well. While there isn’t much left to be gained from the Lions season this year, there are some quality pieces to build off for the next season, and it’s likely possible you could flex out a Reynolds/St Brown without losing your mind next week. While the St. Brown route was likely a defensive overreach on a play as much as it was an amazing offensive output, the points count all the same
The Rookie ❕❗️❕
2018 All-American Amon-Ra St. Brown (@amonra_stbrown) with the touchdown grab. #OnePride#AllAmericanBowl 🇺🇸
— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) December 19, 2021
— Matthew Bevins (@MattQbList on Twitter, /u/TheLongSpring on Reddit)