The Lions' Defense FINALLY Showed Up Against The Cardinals...

The Detroit Lions just delivered their best defensive performance of the season, and Mike Payton is breaking down the biggest winners and losers from the Lions' Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Detroit put up 40 points offensively while holding Arizona to just 14 meaningful points, giving the Lions the kind of complete performance they desperately needed after a rough start to the season on defense. Mike breaks down eight Lions winners and three losers from the game, including several players who badly needed a bounce-back performance. D.J. Reed finally looked like the player Detroit thought it was signing when he arrived in free agency. Reed was the Lions' highest-graded defensive player in the game, and the Lions' return to more man coverage appeared to help him play much more like the cornerback fans expected to see. Roger McCreary also had a better performance despite being targeted 16 times, while rookie Keith Abney made his first career interception and showed why the Lions may have a very interesting defensive chess piece on their hands. On the defensive line, D.J. Wonnum continued to prove that Detroit may have gotten a steal when it signed him. Wonnum recorded two sacks, including a beautiful play that resulted in a coverage sack. Ali McNeill also continued his impressive return to form, looking like the dominant defensive tackle Lions fans remember. Mike also gives credit to Kelvin Sheppard after calling for the defensive coordinator's job last week. Sheppard isn't completely off the hook yet, but this was a much better defensive game plan, and the Lions' decision to get back to more of what they know worked. There were also some losers. Blake Miller continues to show flashes as a rookie tackle but has yet to put together a completely balanced performance. Devin White played well before suffering a forearm injury, while Chuck Clark had a rough night in coverage. Mike also discusses Tom Kennedy leaving the game on crutches and what that could mean for Dominic Lovett and the Lions' punt return situation. Who was the Lions' biggest winner against Arizona? And which player concerns you the most heading into the bye week and the upcoming matchup with Green Bay? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to A to Z Sports Detroit for more Detroit Lions news, analysis, film breakdowns, reactions, predictions and coverage from Mike Payton. #DetroitLions #Lions #NFL #DetroitLionsNews