Follow us:

What we learned: They are capable of winning a game. It had been a while. The Lions' last win came Oct. 27, 2019. They had lost 11 straight going into Sunday's game against the Cardinals. With the game tied at 23, Matthew Stafford and the offense put together a 10-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in the game-winning field goal as time expired. The defense was far from perfect, but if you're a Lions fan, you have to love Jeff Okudah's playing personality. Did he get beat on multiple occasions? Sure. That happens to all corners, especially rookies. But Okudah plays with a ton of energy. He had two tackles for loss -- one on a DeAndre Hopkins screen and another on an Andy Isabella end around. Okudah also undercut Hopkins for an interception. For a franchise that hasn't had much to look forward to, Okudah offers hope as a cornerstone player.

Winning on the road against the Cardinals could have saved their season. The offense is going to be tough to stop when healthy.

What a difference WR Kenny Golladay makes, finding the end zone in his 2020 debut ... which coincided with Detroit's first win in 11 months.

What we got wrong: The Lions would be a breakout team.

Yes, there's still time for this to happen and for the first time in 11 months, Detroit is coming off a win instead of a loss. But the Lions' defense is still largely inconsistent and the offense, loaded with potential, too often settles for field goals and has drives stalled by poorly timed penalties. The Lions have something to build on after a come-from-behind win against Arizona -- only the second in Matt Patricia's tenure -- but this team is still making too many mistakes at this point to be a true playoff contender. -- Michael Rothstein

Hoo boy, did Matt Patricia need that. The Lions and their head coach won for the first time in nearly a year on Sunday, a performance that should lower the heat under Patricia's seat, if only temporarily. Matthew Stafford and Matt Prater deserve credit for closing out the Cardinals on the game's final drive, but let's give some love to Detroit's oft-maligned defense, which intercepted three Kyler Murray passes and kept the dynamic QB from running wild. Rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah did get posterized by Murray on a TD scamper, but the No. 3 overall pick exacted revenge with an interception and runback to set up a field goal. Resilience is an important character trait in this sport.