GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona's bizarre week ended with a big beatdown.
Off the field, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. became Arizona's latest first-round bust when the Cardinals sent the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 draft to Houston during Sunday's game against Detroit.
The news was even worse for the Cardinals on the field to the tune of a 45-21 thumping by the Lions, their fourth straight loss since opening with a win over the Chargers.
“Nothing is up to standard. particularly after today,” Cardinals first-year coach Mike LaFleur said. “You’re about as good as your last game and this was our worst game, so we've got a lot to improve.”
Harrison had been almost an afterthought through Arizona's first four games and the trade rumors started to swirl when he was declared inactive for Sunday's game. The Cardinals pulled off a deal after initially being coy about Harrison's status, sending him and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Texans for a pair of 2027 draft picks.
Harrison's departure follows a string of early-round draft busts by Arizona.
The Cardinals used the 10th overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft to take quarterback Josh Rosen, only to trade him a year later when they took Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick.
Murray had some good moments in the desert but not enough, leading to Arizona trading him to Minnesota prior to this season.
The Cardinals used the eighth overall pick of the 2020 draft on linebacker Isaiah Simmons and ended up trading him for a seventh-round pick in 2023. Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, taken with the 29th overall pick in 2016, had minimal impact on the field and plenty of problems off it before he was
Harrison is the next in line.
The son of Indianapolis Colts Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison was seen as a can't-miss prospect out of Ohio State, yet never lived up to expectations. He saw his production drop precipitously this season, finishing with five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown in his final four games with the Cardinals.
“I really like Marvin Harrison. He’s a good person. I wish him well,” LaFleur said. “We did what we thought was in the best interest of the Cardinals.”
The Cardinals (1-4) appeared to not let the situation with Harrison be a distraction, matching through one of the NFL's worst defenses on their opening drive for Jacoby Brissett's 2-yard TD pass to Teagan Quitoriano.
Arizona followed that 73-yard drive with five straight three-and-outs, gaining 12 yards until Brissett hit Kendrick Bourne on a 23-yard pass in the final minute of the first half. Brissett was sacked two plays later and Chad Ryland closed the half by pushing a 53-yard field goal wide right.
Brissett threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns — two after the Cardinals were down 24 — with an interception. Arizona had 56 yards rushing on 18 carries.
“Obviously, after the first drive you think you've figured it out,” Brissett said. “But it's tough, especially at home..”
Arizona's defense held its ground against one of the NFL's best offenses in the first quarter, limiting the Lions (3-2) to minus-9 yards.
Detroit had the Cardinals on their heels the rest of the way, building a 24-7 halftime lead that kept growing in the second half.
Jared Goff threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns, adding a 1-yard TD run. The Lions scored three of their five touchdowns on fourth down as the Cardinals gave up at least 30 points for the fourth straight game.
“There's a lot to fix right now,” LaFleur said.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Detroit Lions defensive end D.J. Wonnum (98) sacks Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Detroit Lions defensive end D.J. Wonnum (98) sacks Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) is called for pass interference against Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., right, during an NFL football game, in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon pounded Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm on Sunday, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed people living between the Sierra Madre and the ocean.
The hurricane's center swirled parallel to the coast, closing in on the Puerto Vallarta area, where its most damaging winds and rain were expected to hit around midnight and continue through Monday morning. Its maximum sustained winds weakened Sunday to 125 mph (205 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, but it was still expected to remain a dangerous hurricane.
That’s not good news for people in and around Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination in the state of Jalisco. Just inland and uphill from the resort areas, many Mexicans live in communities where housing might not stand up to the storm.
By Sunday afternoon, Simon's eye was moving northwest about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Cabo Corrientes at about 5 mph (7 kph). A senior hurricane center specialist, Phillipe Pappin, said this westernmost tip of mainland Mexico is the area most likely to get a direct hit from the system. Cabo Corrientes is at the southern tip of Bahia de Banderas, the wide bay where Puerto Vallarta looks out to the Pacific.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 kilometers), and tropical-storm-force winds reach up to 60 miles (95 kilometers) from Simon’s center, meaning the entire area between Mexico's western coast and the Sierra Madre mountains could be affected.
“We’re expecting catastrophic wind and life-threatening storm surge impacts along that west-central coast of Mexico where the hurricane warning is currently in effect,” Pappin said. “They’re also getting very heavy rainfall associated with the storm that’s likely going to produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides in areas of higher terrain along the Mexican coastline, and there will be significant swells.”
The hurricane center on Sunday said Simon was expected to dump an additional 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain, with some areas getting up to 8 inches (20 centimeters), in the states of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa through early Thursday.
“Isolated maximum storm totals of 30 inches (76 centimeters) are possible over portions of the states of Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco," the center said in its latest advisory. "This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides or worsen any on-going flooding, especially in areas of steep terrain.”
As the storm approached Puerto Vallarta, National Guard vehicles patrolled the streets while police used a megaphone to call out the few people who were jogging, walking their dogs or biking by the waterfront. Officers reminded people that the area was closed and urged them to take shelter. Not everyone followed the orders.
Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating people from at-risk areas while asking the tourism sector to make sure workers and visitors are fully accommodated in shelters or safe zones.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took to the social platform X on Sunday to urge people in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to stay sheltered until the government issues a notification that the danger has passed. She also asked people to follow recommendations from civil protection officials and to avoid traveling on public roads.
“Precautionary evacuation efforts to safe zones are ongoing; the priority is our safety,” she wrote.
Hotel worker Víctor Martínez went shopping for nonperishable food Sunday afternoon. He said he could not go to work because public transportation service was suspended and most of the hotel had been evacuated.
Martínez found people’s concerns about the hurricane comforting.
“It happened to us before. It hit us years ago,” Martínez said, referring to a Category 5 hurricane that hit the area in 2002. “People didn’t expect it. We were very skeptical that it would ever hit us. Now, though, we’re different. Precautions are being taken. It happened to us once, and we won’t let it happen again.”
Despite the risks posed by Simon, tourists were still arriving in Puerto Vallarta.
Visitors Ricardo Ramírez and Brenda Villarreal, who have never lived through a hurricane, went looking for food by the city’s boardwalk and came across police urging people to take shelter. Ramírez said they were completely unprepared for the situation.
“The boardwalk is closed. Be responsible. Understand!” police told passersby using a megaphone.
Ramírez said he and Villarreal had planned their four-day vacation since last year and traveled from Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital.
“We don’t know the extent of the danger yet,” Villarreal said. “We’re just starting to see what’s going on.”
A National Guard on patrol faces the spray at the seawall as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A National Guard stands in the spray as a wave hits the seawall brought by the approaching Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A National Guard patrols along the seawall as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Tourists walk along the coast as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Tourists take photos of a water splashing against the wall as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Workers place sandbags outside a restaurant as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA shows Hurricane Simon in the Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
A man boards up a shop as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
The Flying Men of Papantla perform the "Danza de los Voladores" on the beach as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A man places a window covering on his boat as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
