NFL roundup: Lowly Lions roar to huge upset of high-flying Arizona Cardinals |
Kyler Murray had a shaky performance and that helped the Detroit Lions stun the Arizona Cardinals 30-12 on Sunday.
The Cardinals (10-4) started the day tied for the NFL’s best record and were undefeated on the road.
While the Lions (2-11-1) were mired at the bottom of the league standings before the first snap.
Arizona, coming off a loss on Monday night to the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams, missed its chance to get in the playoffs for the first time since 2015 with a win over a team it was favored to beat by nearly two touchdowns.
The Cardinals can still earn a postseason berth during Week 15, but they’ll need some other playoff contenders to lose.
And in any scenario, Murray will have to play better.
The third-year quarterback was 23 of 41 for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception, adding up to a 72.9 passer rating. The third-year pro has had a slightly lower rating twice this season, and the Cardinals lost both games to the Rams and Green Bay.
Murray couldn’t get away from the scrappy Lions when he tried to run, and finished with 3 yards rushing on four carries.
By the time Murray threw a touchdown pass, there was 4:40 left in the game and Arizona trailed by 15 points.
Detroit kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, essentially sealing the win, and coach Kliff Kingsbury put Colt McCoy in the game in place of Murray.
Jared Goff, meanwhile, was the best quarterback on the field in one of many surprises at Ford Field.
He completed 21 of 26 passes for 216 yards with three touchdowns.
Detroit’s Craig Reynolds ran for a career-high 112 yards and rookie receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had 90 yards receiving, setting a season high for the second straight week, and a touchdown.
Houston Texans 30-16 Jacksonville Jaguars
Tremon Smith returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, ending the longest drought in the NFL, and the Houston Texans beat woeful Jacksonville 30-16 on Sunday to end a three-game skid and extend their dominance in the series.
Smith somehow escaped five defenders near the 30-yard line – Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins broke his right ankle trying to make the tackle – before coasting the rest of the way. It was Houston’s first kickoff return for a score since 4 October 2009. Every other NFL team had enjoyed at least one since.
Rookie quarterback Davis Mills won for the first time in eight starts. He connected with Brandin Cooks twice for touchdowns, once early and again late. The second one was a 43-yarder that sealed yet another Houston victory against Jacksonville.
The Texans (3-11) won their eighth straight against the Jaguars (2-12), sweeping their rivals for the ninth time in the last 11 years.
The latest one capped a tumultuous week for Jacksonville, who fired Urban Meyer early Thursday to end one of the worst coaching tenures in NFL history.
Instead, the lowly Texans rolled – again.
Dallas Cowboys 21-6 New York Giants
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble and made two other big plays that led to 15 points and the NFL-East leading Dallas Cowboys inched closer to their first playoff berth since 2018 with a 21-6 win over the error-plagued New York Giants Sunday.
Dak Prescott threw touchdown, Ezekiel Elliott scored…
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