DETROIT (AP) — When an NFL team wins a game 45-21, there's not usually one play that serves as an obvious turning point.
That wasn't the case for the Lions' rout of the Arizona Cardinals, though, and Dan Campbell knew it.
“It really started with the fourth-and-3,” Detroit's coach said Monday. “That's a huge catch on a big throw.”
The first quarter had been an offensive nightmare for the Lions (3-2). They had the ball three times and went three-and-out each time. Jared Goff had been sacked three times and completed two of four pass attempts for 7 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs had two carries for 5 yards.
That left them with a first quarter of nine plays for minus-8 yards, and they trailed 7-0.
The second quarter started the same way. After Tom Kennedy returned a punt to the Lions 46, Gibbs ran for 7 yards on first down, but Goff followed with two incomplete passes.
Instead of punting for a fourth time, Campbell left his offense on the field. Goff threw a 12-yard pass to tight end Sam LaPorta and the Lions got 15 more yards from an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Cardinals. Detroit suddenly had a first down on the Arizona 20 and only needed three more plays to tie the game at 7-all.
“We took a shot on fourth down and we ended up with 27 yards off of it,” Campbell said. “And then he did it again on the next drive.”
After a Cardinals punt, the Lions were facing third-and-12 at the Arizona 49. Goff threw a quick pass to LaPorta, who broke a tackle and got within inches of the first-down marker.
Detroit went for it again, and with the Cardinals focused on a potential Gibbs run, LaPorta got open and caught a pass from Goff, taking it 38 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
“He makes the catch on third-and-long and gets us a fourth-and-1,” Campbell said. “And then he gets the next catch and takes it to the house. After that, we never really looked back.”
The Lions, who trailed 7-0 after one quarter, were up 24-7 at halftime and 45-14 before the Cardinals scored a meaningless, late touchdown.
The Lions put a heavy load on Gibbs yet again — he had 30 touches for 207 yards and two touchdowns — but it's tough to give him the ball fewer times when he's performing at this level. For the season, he has 132 touches for 747 yards and nine touchdowns.
Gibbs has 58 touchdowns in 54 career games — breaking Barry Sanders' NFL record of 57 before his 25th birthday. Gibbs also set a record with 49 touchdowns before his 24th birthday.
The Lions had a great day returning punts, but it came at a significant cost. Kennedy had two returns for 33 yards, but sustained a season-ending knee injury on the second one. Amon-Ra St. Brown was even better, bringing back two punts for 36 yards, but Campbell doesn't want to use one of his most important offensive players as a return man.
With a bye this week, the Lions have plenty of time to find a punt returner on the roster or in free agency.
D.J. Reed finished the day with seven solo tackles, including three for losses, and broke up a pass.
The Lions could take some of the workload off Gibbs if they had a reliable No. 2 back, but Sione Vaki hasn't come close to filling the shoes of David Montgomery, who departed in free agency in the offseason. On Sunday, Vaki only carried the ball once in the first half for minus-2 yards, before adding five carries for 13 yards after the game was decided.
Along with Kennedy, the Lions lost linebacker Devin White to a broken forearm. He will need surgery, but Campbell said Monday that he could return this season.
13 — The number of days the Lions have before they return from their bye to play the Green Bay Packers.
Get the current roster healthy and hopefully get safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays back from injuries.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) celebrates his touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks to the media after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) runs for a touchdown after a reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
ENSENADA, México (AP) — Hurricane Simon pounded western Mexico with more wind and rain Monday after tropical weather systems caused two deaths and damage in Pacific coastal towns and resorts.
The eye of the Category 2 hurricane remained offshore as its outer bands of winds and rain slammed communities between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta.
Flood advisories were mostly lifted in the southwestern U.S. after the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel caused weekend flooding in Las Vegas.
In Mexico's Baja California state, rescuers on Monday combed parts of the coastal city of Ensenada where floodwaters swept away vehicles and damaged homes.
Resident Johana Nuriulu said the flooding began during the night, shortly after heavy rain knocked out electricity. “We heard a loud noise that sounded like ocean waves, but really loud,” she said.
Nuriulu said she went outside and discovered that a nearby stream had overflowed, sending water rushing through the neighborhood. The waters inundated streets and homes, sweeping away vehicles and other belongings. “Everything was being dragged away” Nuriulu said.
Several communities were cut off by landslides and overflowing rivers elsewhere in Baja California in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Rachel.
In the afternoon, the Mexican military used helicopters to rescue 32 people — 22 of them foreigners — from a ranch in Ensenada. Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila said 13 were children.
The State Secretary of Security, General Laureano Carrillo, said that some of the group were missionaries holding a meeting at the ranch and that among them were Germans and Americans.
At least 10 people were reported missing and a young girl dead in the aftermath of Rachel, according to Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila.
According to Ávila some 14,000 federal and state personnel had been deployed across Baja California to assist affected residents and respond to the emergency.
To the south, Simon downed trees and electricity poles, blocked roads and flooded homes in coastal towns of Guerrero state, including the major seaport of Acapulco, Gov. Evelyn Salgado said at a news conference.
A 71-year-old man died after a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo, Guerrero's capital, Salgado said.
Simon was expected to remain a hurricane through midweek and make landfall Thursday near Sinaloa. the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Monday evening.
Heavy rainfall associated with Simon — 5 to 10 inches (12.7 to 25.4 centimeters) — in west-central Mexico over the next few days may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, the hurricane center said.
In Puerto Vallarta, workers removed wooden panels from boarded-up storefronts and businesses reopened Monday as rains eased. The popular tourist destination's international airport suspended operations until Tuesday morning.
“Personally, I think we should remain on alert because we don’t really know whether it will arrive, move elsewhere or dissipate,” said Noelia Carrillo, a tourism agency worker.
Rachel weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it moved north into Southern California. The storm battered the coast with unusually large waves, which tore apart a boardwalk and smashed into homes in Long Beach. Some residents were forced to evacuate.
Las Vegas tied an all-time daily rainfall record for October after receiving 1.08 inches (2.74 centimeters) of rain into Sunday morning, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. The record was set in 1947.
Videos posted on social media showed a torrent of water rushing through a street near the Las Vegas Strip, with a Ferris wheel and casinos in the background.
Andrew Orrison, a weather service meteorologist, said localized flash flooding was still a risk for the region Monday.
“We’ve seen the worst of what Rachel brought ... but unfortunately we are looking at the disturbed weather still lingering,” Orrison said.
Flood advisories were mostly lifted by late Monday in Utah, Arizona and elsewhere in the Southwest.
In Utah, dozens of runners and volunteers who were part of the Moab 240 ultramarathon were evacuated Sunday after being stranded by flooding. The race goes through Canyonlands and Arches National Park.
The additional rainfall is not associated with Rachel, but a different weather system moving across the West, Orrison said. The precipitation is forecast to end by Wednesday.
Power was gradually being restored after Hurricane Isaias hit the U.S. Southeast.
At least four deaths have been linked to Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane Friday near Destin, Florida, a Gulf Coast vacation spot filled with high-rises and tourist shops. The storm then roared into Alabama with tropical-force winds before dissipating farther north.
About 106,000 customers remained without power by Monday evening in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama, according to poweroutage.com. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expected nearly everyone to have it restored by Tuesday night and directed all schools to reopen Wednesday.
Drier weather is expected over the next few days across areas of the mid-Atlantic down through the Southeast, including the southern Appalachians.
It will feel “a little summerish” in some of those areas with higher than normal temperatures this week, Orrison said.
Silva Rey reported from Puerto Vallarta and Ding from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Laura Turbay contributed from Little Rock, Arkansas, and Julie Walker from New York.
Waves from post-tropical cyclone Rachel crash into beachfront homes in Long Beach, Calif., Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Islam Mahfuz salvages contents of their destroyed mini mart in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People walk on the beach after the passing of Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Waves from post-tropical cyclone Rachel crash into beachfront homes in Long Beach, Calif., Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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 jogger passes a boarded up store after the passing of Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
An apartment complex which had its roof ripped off is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Waves hit a walkway in front of homes in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, as Tropical Storm Rachel approaches. (AP Photo/William Liang)
