Arizona Cardinals – Detroit Lions Play Scoreless First
By Scott Allen
Sep 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola (51) signals to teammates before snapping the ball during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Both the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions were able to move the ball a bit in the first quarter. The Lions came closest to putting points on the board but we sit scoreless at the end of the first quarter.
Lions kicker David Akers had a chance to put the Lions up 3-0 but he missed two attempts at it. The first attempt from 52 was wide left but Cards cornerback Justin Bethel was called for running into the kicker. On the second attempt from 47 yards, Akers missed wide right. He was seen being attended to on the sidelines by the trainers after the attempt.
As for the Cardinals, the offensive line has been giving time to quarterback Carson Palmer to throw the ball. Receiver Andre Roberts missed a catch on third and nine on the first Cards offensive drive. On the second drive, running back Rashard Mendenhall had two very nice runs but they eventually came up short on a third down pass to tight end Jim Dray. He came up one yard shy of keeping the drive alive.
The Cards allowed Detroit to move the ball a bit. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is 8-11 for 64 yards so far. Just one catch to this point for receiver Calvin Johnson. Let’s see what the second quarter holds.