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The Arizona Cardinals Detroit Lions on Sunday.
It was a GORGEOUS day outside....but there was definitely some concern about the field conditions overall. Guys kept slipping on the poor field, which per Dave Pasch is set to be changed out after today’s game.
The way guys are slipping, you worry about knee injuries in this game
— scott bordow (@sbordow) December 9, 2018
The game started with a bang—Budda Baker being Budda Baker and forcing a big time turnover to stop a driving Lions offense on their first possession.
#Cardinals Safety Budda Baker is such an emerging playerpic.twitter.com/uZkvHWZETW
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 9, 2018
The poor field conditions led to some sloppy play and two big-time Lions defenders left the game.
DaShawn Hand still on the training table. Ezekiel Ansah headed there to join him. And the cart is coming out for Hand.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) December 9, 2018
There was little scoring to be found, all day. It wasn’t even “good defense” so much as “bad offenses”.
I predicted the Lions and Cardinals to score 30 points combined today.
— Redruckus81 (@Redruckus81) December 9, 2018
I may have been overly optimistic
AZ had a chance to tie the game and....no go.
There's the Zane Gonzalez we all know and love. Thud.#DETvsAZ #BeRedSeeRed
— British [3-9]Gang (@BritishBirdgang) December 9, 2018
At halftime....
Now that's a stat. https://t.co/3y5mvtixjO
— Blake Allen Murphy (@blakemurphy7) December 9, 2018
All time Josh Rosen stat line cooking. pic.twitter.com/Kl9HYzhqkC
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) December 9, 2018
It wasn’t all bad news though—the one and only Larry Legend kept his consecutive games with a catch streak alive and set a new one of his own:
Larry Fitzgerald just recorded his 1,282nd catch as a member of the Cardinals. No player has ever recorded more catches with one team in NFL history
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 9, 2018
It was brutal to watch Lions players dropping left and right and the Cardinals STILL couldn’t take advantage.
Lions with three more players out, all with hamstrings, and their returns are questionable. WR Bruce Ellington, CB Marcus Cooper and S Charles Washington. They're seriously running out of players vs. Cardinals.
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) December 9, 2018
Poll: Is the Arizona-Detroit game that's allegedly 3-0 in the third quarter actually happening?
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 9, 2018
And then just as AZ was getting into a rhythm? Disaster struck...
Rosen didn't put enough zip on that pass to Sherfield and Darius Slay jumps it and makes the interception, returning it 67 yards for a Lions' touchdown and now, a 10-0 lead over thew Cardinals with 3:03 left in the third quarter.
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) December 9, 2018
And after that, AZ drove down and settled for a field goal but when they needed to just hold on down a score....
Wow. Lions just go old school football and take it 75 yards in about four minutes. 17-3.
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) December 10, 2018
And that was it. Arizona drops down to 3-10 and if the team took “one step forward” against the Packers, this game was two steps back.
And now Steve Wilks has another week of questions about his job...
Jets may have Bowles but the Cardinals hired a worse Bowles in 2018 https://t.co/DdkXW3WonT
— J.J. (@JetsTank) December 9, 2018
All in all, it wasn’t going to happen but this sums it up well enough:
There will be no postseason in the desert. pic.twitter.com/DvYGGN0Ake
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 10, 2018
You can follow @blakemurphy7 on Twitter and listen to the Revenge of the Birds podcast below.