Lions keep it surprisingly close, but lose to Arizona

Hey look! Drew Stanton! (AP Photo)

It is hard to get a good read on the 2009 Detroit Lions. They beat a mediocre but not terrible Washington team, but then lost to an awful St. Louis team. They got completely obliterated last week by Baltimore, and I expected the same from Arizona to be honest. No Kevin Smith, no Matthew Stafford, how could Detroit keep this game close? Well, next thing I knew the Lions were in a 24-24 game with the Cardinals late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they ended up losing 31-24, but staying as close as they did to a playoff team with the injuries they've suffered was still an impressive feat.

The game didn't look like it was going to be close, however, as Arizona led 17-0 at halftime. Quite frankly, the game easily could have turned into a beatdown on par with last week if not for Louis Delmas. The standout rookie returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, making the game 17-7 and things only got better for Detroit from there. Maurice Morris managed a 64-yard touchdown run. The fact he finished with 17 carries for 126 yards tells the full story, but sometimes all it takes is one big run to have a good day.

The passing game, however, had its issues. There has been some clamoring for Drew Stanton recently and those people got their wish after Daunte Culpepper was benched. All that offseason work and weigh loss for this? We've probably seen the last of Daunte Culpepper. Not just with the Lions, but in the NFL in general. Stanton's numbers aren't particularly good, he went 10-19 for 72 yards and an interception and ran three times for 10 yards and score, but they were something. At best, his future in the NFL is as a backup and the Lions will probably be looking to see if he can fill that role for Stafford in the future years.

Considering who they were playing, Arizona's offense didn't look that good. They turned the ball over three times, with Kurt Warner both throwing an interception and fumbling. However, he finished with 233 yards and two touchdowns so it wasn't all bad. Beanie Wells got off to a slow start this season, but he's run better recently and put up 110 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against the Lions.

This wasn't a game I, or most fans, saw the Lions winning. As such, seeing them keep the game close down to the wire was a nice surprise. At the very least, this has been a team that has played hard for the most part. Granted, since they still lack quite a bit in talent they still lose and often by a lot, but it has nevertheless been a season where the Lions have gone in the right direction. Is this team better than last season's? I'd say they definitely are. They have a long way to go until they're good, but they're on their way. Until they reach that goal, playing playoff teams close at home is about as close as they are going to get to a victory against a good team it would seem.

However, there is some good news on the NFL Draft front. Both Cleveland and Tampa Bay won today, increasing the Lions chances of picking first overall, or at least second overall behind the Rams. Hey St. Louis, doesn't a quarterback sound good? I know Sam Bradford got hurt this year, but isn't he worth a shot? He'll certainly see more jerseys than somebody such as, for example, Ndamukong Suh. Think about, St. Louis.

Until then, I guess we as Lions fans will have to settle with having one defensive difference maker in Louis Delmas. Thanks to him and a few others, but not Culpepper, the Lions kept it close this week against the Cardinals. That's more than I expected, and I am happy with the result.