The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a tough loss to division rival Los Angeles on Monday Night Football. It was a defeat that dropped them from the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC to the No. 3 seed behind Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Cardinals head coach Cliff Kingsbury and his team will be looking to rebound Sunday in Detroit, and improve to 8-0 on the road this year.
Here's what the Cardinals are saying ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Lions:
1. Playing on Monday night means the Cardinals have a short week to prepare for a cross-country road trip to Detroit.
"Everybody deals with these short weeks," Kingsbury said Tuesday. "You try to get ahead the previous week knowing that (Tuesday) was going to move pretty quickly. Our staff was working on some Detroit stuff late last week to make sure we could get it to the players early and try to make the week resemble a short week as much as possible for them."
View photos of the starters for the Arizona Cardinals.
Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury
Offensive Coordinator: Jim Dray
Defensive Coordinator: Brenston Buckner
Special Teams Coordinator: Devin Fitzsimmons
WR A.J. Green
Backed up by Andy Isabella
LT D.J. Humphries
Backed up by Joshua Miles
LG Justin Pugh
Backed up by Sean Harlow
C Rodney Hudson
Backed up by Marcus Henry
RG Max Garcia
Backed up by Josh Jones
RT Kelvin Beachum
Backed up by Josh Jones
TE Zach Ertz
Backed up by Demetrius Harris and Darrell Daniels
WR Christian Kirk
Backed up by Rondale Moore
WR DeAndre Hopkins
Backed up by Antoine Wesley
QB Kyler Murray
Backed up by Colt McCoy and Trace McSorley
RB James Conner
Backed up by Eno Benjamin and Tavien Feaster
DE Jordan Phillips
Backed up by Michael Dogbe
NT Corey Peters
Backed up by Zach Kerr
DT Zach Allen
Backed up by Leki Fotu
OLB Chandler Jones
Backed up by Dennis Gardeck
ILB Isaiah Simmons
Backed up by Joe Walker
ILB Jordan Hicks
Backed up by Zaven Collins
OLB Markus Golden
Backed up by Devon Kennard and Victor Dimukeje
CB Byron Murphy Jr.
Backed up by Antonio Hamilton
CB Robert Alford
Backed up by Marco Wilson
S Jalen Thompson
Backed up by Deionte Thompson
S Budda Baker
Backed up by Chris Banjo
K Matt Prater
P/H Andy Lee
KR Rondale Moore
Backed up by Eno Benjamin
PR Rondale Moore
Backed up by Christian Kirk
2. Kingsbury views Detroit as a team that plays hard, but just isn't getting the results. He said it jumps out on tape when watching the Lions just how hard they play, and said it's a credit to their coaching staff and the culture Dan Campbell is building in Detroit that they continue to fight and play as hard as they do despite the record. He said the Lions could definitely have a different looking record if the ball had bounced their way a few more times this season.
3. The Cardinals and Kingsbury haven't had much success over the years against quarterback Jared Goff, a fact pointed out by Kingsbury this week. Sure, that was with Goff playing in Los Angeles for a really good Rams team, but Kingsbury certainly has respect for Goff's ability.
"We haven't beat Jared Goff since I've been here," Kingsbury said. "I think he's a really talented quarterback, and he's building with that team, but he's played at a really high level at times with the new group around him."
4. Kicker Matt Prater was asked about his former team. He said he'll always be a Lion and a fan of the organization. He thinks the team is on the right path despite their record.
"I think they're close and have some good young pieces," he said. "They are a lot better than their record, for sure."
Asked about his best and worst memory playing at Ford Field, Prater said the worst was the Golden Tate clock runoff game against Atlanta a few years back. He said his best was playing on Thanksgiving and the tradition that comes with that, particularly the Thanksgiving game in 2016 against Minnesota when he kicked two late field goals to tie the game and win it in the final minutes.
View photos from Detroit Lions practice on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds (8) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds (8) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Rodney Smith (33) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tom Kennedy (85) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Godwin Igwebuike (35) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Godwin Igwebuike (35) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Trinity Benson (17) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jermar Jefferson (28) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (46) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Trinity Benson (17) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (18) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Shakur Brown (48) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Parnell Motley (29) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Geronimo Allison (13) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions outside linebacker Rashod Berry (43) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Curtis Bolton (49) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Josh Woods (51) during Lions practice at the Training Facility in Allen Park, MI on December 15, 2021. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
5. Tight end Zach Ertz said one thing very similar between this Cardinals team and the Philadelphia team he was on that won the Super Bowl in 2017 is just how hard they practice during the week. He said both teams really competed hard against each other, and that come Sunday, it almost seemed easier.
6. Ertz said it's very evident watching Detroit on tape that they believe in their coaching staff, because if guys don't believe in their coaches, you typically see the energy level drop off later in the year when teams have nothing to play for. He said that's definitely not the case with Detroit on film. Ertz said it doesn't matter what the record is, when a team plays hard for 60 minutes, they're dangerous.
