Lions' passing attack targets Arizona's vulnerable secondary

The central matchup

The Detroit Lions arrive at 2-2 with the league's second-ranked offense, while the 1-3 Arizona Cardinals need their passing game to exploit a Detroit defense that has left openings all season. Sunday, October 11, is built around whether Detroit can keep scoring at its current rate or whether Arizona can turn its own aerial opportunity into enough points.

Detroit has scored 29.8 points per game, fourth in the NFL, and its 0.23 offensive EPA per play ranks second. EPA per play measures the expected points a team adds on each snap, and Detroit's 53.7% success rate means positive EPA on more than half of its plays.

Arizona's defense is 23rd in EPA allowed per play and has allowed 29.3 points per game, 29th in the league. That places a Cardinals secondary allowing 247.8 passing yards per game against a Detroit passing offense that ranks second with 303.5 yards per game.

Goff's pace, Brissett's opening

Jared Goff has thrown for 1,214 yards in his four starts, with nine touchdowns and no interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown gives him a high-volume target after catching 31 passes for 303 yards and five touchdowns, while Jahmyr Gibbs has powered the complementary ground game with 353 rushing yards and five scores.

The Cardinals' route to changing the shape of the game runs through Jacoby Brissett and Michael Wilson. Brissett has 818 passing yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions in four starts, and Wilson has 258 receiving yards on 25 catches; they face a Detroit pass defense allowing an NFL-high 327 yards per game.

That is Arizona's clearest opening, even though its passing offense ranks 27th in efficiency. The Lions are 30th in defensive EPA allowed per play, and their 51.8% defensive success rate allowed means opponents have posted positive EPA on more than half of their snaps.

Availability and setting

Detroit will be without guards Ben Bartch and Mason Miller, plus cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, with defensive tackle Tyleik Williams questionable. The Lions most recently dropped a 32-26 road decision to the Carolina Panthers, after allowing 41 points in a loss at Buffalo earlier this season.

Arizona is without safety Andrew Wingard and guard Isaiah Adams, while four more players are questionable. The Cardinals come home after a 36-24 loss at the New York Giants, their third straight defeat.

Kickoff is 4:25 PM ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ; sportsbooks' prices give Detroit a 68% chance to win, compared with 32% for Arizona.