By admin 
Kelvin Sheppard spent the week leading into Sunday hearing questions about whether his job was safe. The Detroit Lions answered a few of them for him in a 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, though the afternoon also cost them veteran linebacker Devin White, who broke his forearm in the first quarter.
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Detroit (3-2) heads into the Week 6 bye after scoring on seven consecutive drives, a stretch that included Jahmyr Gibbs passing Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns in NFL history by a player before his 25th birthday. It makes for a quieter bye week than Detroit sports radio was bracing for. A week after we had Sheppard’s stock tumbling, here’s who rose and who fell in the desert.
Stock up: Kelvin Sheppard
The Lions came in allowing 31.8 points per game, No. 31 in the league. After giving up a touchdown on Arizona’s opening drive, Sheppard’s defense forced five straight three-and-outs that gained a combined 12 yards, according to The Associated Press. Detroit also played more man coverage than it had in the first four games.
It wasn’t spotless. Roger McCreary tied a franchise record with six passes defended, but he was targeted 18 times and allowed nine catches, according to PFF. Two of Jacoby Brissett’s three touchdown passes came after halftime with Detroit already up big.
Stock up: Jared Goff
Goff completed 19 of 30 passes with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. He converted four fourth downs, three through the air and one on his 1-yard touchdown run, and stretched a franchise-record run to 28 straight games with a touchdown pass, the longest active streak in the NFL.
He and Russell Wilson in 2019 are the only quarterbacks with at least 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions through five games. “Goff just is Goff. He’s as good as they come,” Dan Campbell said after the game. Expect more of the sleeper MVP talk around him over the bye.
Stock up: D.J. Wonnum
Wonnum had two sacks and three quarterback hits, giving him a team-high five sacks and at least one in three straight games. Detroit’s 20 sacks are the most in franchise history through five games, and Tim Twentyman of the team’s website called Wonnum a savvy signing by general manager Brad Holmes opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
Stock up: Keith Abney II
The rookie fifth-round pick made his first career start at safety and finished with six tackles and an interception that ended the first half. At 21 years and 273 days old, he became the second-youngest Lions player since the 1970 merger to record an interception. PFF gave him an 84.0 tackling grade.
With Brian Branch still working back from a torn Achilles, a rookie who can play outside, in the slot and at safety gives Sheppard options in a secondary that has drawn trade-rumor attention all month.
Stock down: Devin White
White started at middle linebacker and lasted 16 snaps, according to PFF. Campbell said the injury will likely require surgery and keep him out for an extended stretch. Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez, who shared a sack with Hutchinson, now carry the linebacker room into back-to-back home games against Green Bay and Minnesota.
Stock down: Detroit’s first-quarter offense
For a while, it looked like another slow start. The Lions went three-and-out on their first three possessions before Campbell kept the offense on the field on fourth-and-3 at the Arizona 38. Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 12 yards, a high hit added 15 more and Gibbs scored three plays later.
Detroit has now scored three points on five opening drives and 10 first-quarter points all season, per Twentyman. It’s an issue the offense has been working on since September, and the Packers won’t wait around at Ford Field on Oct. 25.
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Latest news on the Detroit Lions
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This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 3:00 AM.