Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals Match Player Stats On Nov 16, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 16, 2014

Cardinals 14, Lions 6: Drew Stanton threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes to Michael Floyd and host Arizona made them stand up en route to its sixth consecutive victory and first 9-1 start since 1948.

Stanton, back in the lineup after starter Carson Palmer suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, finished 21-for-32 for a career-high 306 yards with the two TDs and two interceptions against the team that drafted him in 2007. Floyd had the two catches for 54 yards and the Cardinals (9-1) registered four sacks and an interception to open a three-game lead atop the NFC West.

Matt Stafford threw for 183 yards on 18-of-30 for Detroit (7-3), which had its four-game win streak halted and was held out of the end zone for the first time this season. Calvin Johnson had five catches for 59 yards and Joique Bell rushed for 85 yards for the Lions, who fell into a first-place tie with Green Bay in the NFC North.

Floyd, held to 47 yards or fewer in each of his last six games, won a jump ball in the right side of the end zone on a 42-yard pass from Stanton three minutes into the contest before catching a 12-yard scoring pass in nearly the same spot six minutes later for a quick 14-0 lead. After Matt Prater nailed a 50-yard field goal that caromed off the upright, Cassius Vaughn picked off Stanton late in the half to set up a 28-yarder by Prater that cut the deficit to 14-6.

The Lions had a chance to get back into the game on a bizarre play with just over 11 1/2 minutes remaining, when Arizona's Justin Bethel attempted to down a punt at the 1-yard line and flicked it to a teammate as he was falling into the end zone. Detroit's Jeremy Ross alertly snared the bouncing ball and returned it 49 yards, but Cardinals coach Bruce Arians challenged the call, claiming Bethel had possession, and had the play reversed to pin the Lions at the 1.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald had two receptions for 33 yards to give him at least one catch in 159 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league. He also became the second-youngest player in history to surpass 12,000 receiving yards, behind only Randy Moss. ... Stafford set a record by throwing for 20,000 yards in his first 71 games, eclipsing the previous record set by Dan Marino in 74 contests. ... Lions WR Golden Tate had two catches for 41 yards, snapping his string of three straight 100-yard games.