Jahmyr Gibbs runs for 151 yards and passes Barry Sanders as Lions rout Cardinals 45-21

The Detroit Lions overpowered the Arizona Cardinals 45-21 on Sunday in Glendale, scoring 24 points in the second quarter to erase an early deficit while Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

The win lifts Detroit to 3-2 and sends it into its Week 6 bye on a high note after a loss at Carolina a week earlier had dropped the Lions to .500. Arizona, playing its first game since agreeing to trade receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston, fell to 1-4 and has lost four in a row.

How Detroit took over

The start was ragged for the Lions. They went three-and-out on each of their first two possessions, and Arizona converted a fourth-and-1 with a reverse pass before Jacoby Brissett found tight end Teagan Quitoriano for a short touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Detroit turned the game by going for it. Facing fourth-and-3 near midfield early in the second quarter, Jared Goff hit Sam LaPorta on a contested catch, a roughing penalty tacked on 15 more yards, and Gibbs scored from a yard out two plays later. LaPorta then got loose behind the defense for a 38-yard touchdown, Jameson Williams caught an 8-yard score on another fourth-down conversion, and Jake Bates made a 46-yard field goal just before the half for a 24-7 lead.

Williams added a 39-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. Goff, who had not run for a score since 2023, pushed in from the 1 on fourth down late in the period, and Gibbs capped a 13-play, 79-yard drive with a 3-yard run in the fourth. The Lions finished 4 of 4 on fourth down and outgained Arizona 412 yards to 327.

.@Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs has passed @BarrySanders (57) for the most TDs scored by a player under 25 years old in @NFL history.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/vdvsTLH9KQ

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) October 11, 2026

The performers

Gibbs carried 25 times and added five catches for 56 yards. His second touchdown moved him past Barry Sanders, who had 57, for the most touchdowns in NFL history by a player younger than 25, the club said. Goff completed 19 of 30 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. LaPorta caught all five of his targets for 88 yards, and Williams’ two catches were both touchdowns, his first of the season.

On defense, Aidan Hutchinson moved past Ezekiel Ansah for the most quarterback hits by a Lions player since 2006, the Lions noted, and cornerback Keith Abney II intercepted Brissett. Detroit sacked Brissett five times.

For Arizona, Brissett went 29 of 47 for 292 yards with three touchdowns, two to Quitoriano and a late 9-yarder to Trey McBride, who finished with nine catches for 66 yards. The Cardinals managed 56 rushing yards, with Jeremiyah Love held to 22 on 12 carries.

oh my McBride 😳#DETvsAZ | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/014MXVJnXd

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 11, 2026

Injuries

Lions receiver and return man Tom Kennedy was carted off in the second quarter with a knee injury after a punt return and was ruled out, and linebacker Devin White did not return after hurting his forearm. Cardinals safety Wydett Williams Jr. was evaluated for a concussion. Updates will be on our injury tracker.

What comes next

The Lions are off in Week 6 and return to host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 25, at 4:25 p.m. EDT. The Cardinals visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, October 18, at 4:05 p.m. EDT. The full box score is in the Game Center.