Detroit Lions face Arizona Cardinals on October 11, 2026

The Detroit Lions head into the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals on October 11, 2026, seeking a complete four-quarter performance and a get-right victory before their Week 6 bye.

Defending Arizona Three Tight End Formations

While the Detroit defense has struggled overall this season, prideofdetroit.com reports they have found success against three tight end sets. The defense has allowed only 3.31 yards per rush on 16 attempts against 13-personnel, alongside a 66.7% pressure rate and a 9.5% sack rate.

The Cardinals have increased their 13-personnel usage to 20.1% under Mike LaFleur, deploying Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, and Teagan Quitoriano, according to prideofdetroit.com and sports.yahoo.com. Both outlets note that Jacoby Brissett has found success passing out of these heavy sets, completing 11-of-16 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns.

Mitigating The Cardinals Passing Attack

Sports.yahoo.com and prideofdetroit.com point out that Cardinals left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. will miss the game due to injury. This forces either seventh-round rookie Jayden Williams or recently signed Jedrick Wills to protect Jacoby Brissett’s blind side.

Despite the favorable offensive line matchup, the Lions secondary must clean up short-pass coverage. Prideofdetroit.com highlights that Brissett ranks last among 29 qualifying quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt at 5.4, while operating a dink-and-dunk offense that generates an explosive pass rate of only 2.6%.

Exploiting The Arizona Defense

Quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions offense will look to attack a Cardinals defense that allows a league-worst 12.7% explosive pass rate.

The Cardinals are allowing a 47.7% third-down conversion rate, ranking 26th in the league, according to prideofdetroit.com. The Lions plan to dominate possession by converting on third down and keeping their defense off the field against an Arizona unit that struggles to get off the field.