The Sports Xchange

DETROIT — Patrick Peterson knew that once the Arizona Cardinals defense collected two early turnovers, the takeaways would keep on coming.

“As a defense, we always say that once we get one early, they’re going to continue falling out of the sky,” the team’s shutdown cornerback said Sunday. “That’s what they did today. Tipped balls, pursuing guys to the ball, stripping ball-carriers from behind — they were just falling right in our lap.”

The ballhawking Cardinals wound up forcing six turnovers as they cruised past the winless Detroit Lions 42-17 at Ford Field. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was benched midway through the third quarter after he was picked three times.

“They were like piranhas today,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. “There was blood in the water. Once the turnovers started, they’re competing for them.”

The Cardinals’ offense often worked with short fields, and it scored 21 points off the Lions’ giveaways. Quarterback Carson Palmer tossed three touchdown passes, and running back David Johnson added two rushing touchdowns.

Running back Chris Johnson gained 103 yards on 11 carries, strong safety Rashad Johnson had two interceptions, and running back Andre Ellington added a 63-yard scoring run for the Cardinals (4-1).

Arizona, which bounced back after a home loss to the Rams, leads the NFC West by two games after losses by St. Louis and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said he didn’t have a quarterback controversy despite benching Stafford.

“It’s like a pitcher not having a very good day,” said Caldwell, who added he also won’t make any coaching changes. “The pitcher comes out, but the pitcher obviously is still the starter. He’s a starter, so there will be no issues there.”

Backup Dan Orlovsky threw for 191 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception for the Lions (0-5).

What we learned about the Lions:

1. Rookie running back Ameer Abdullah cannot be trusted to hold onto the ball. Abdullah fumbled twice in the first half and was benched. He was stripped on a carry during the Lions’ second possession and Arizona recovered. He was fortunate that his fumble on a second-quarter kickoff did not result in a turnover, as the defender was out of bounds. Abdullah had fumble issues at Nebraska, coughing it up 21 times (14 recovered by the opponent). With Joique Bell injured, the Lions were left with rookie Zach Zenner and pass-catcher Theo Riddick in the backfield. “Any time you put the ball on the ground, your playing time is going to be minimized,” coach Jim Caldwell said.

2. The stout defense the Lions displayed at Seattle the previous Monday night was an aberration. Certainly, the constant turnovers put the defense in bad spots throughout the first half. But it was gouged by castoff running back Chris Johnson for 103 yards, and Carson Palmer finished with a 154.2 quarterback rating after throwing as many touchdown passes as incompletions. The Lions had a chance to change the momentum in the second quarter when they were down seven and had the Cards pinned at their 1-yard line. A long pass play by Palmer got Arizona out of danger and it soon scored to take control.

3. They will be playing out the string for the last 11 games of the season. There was a sliver of hope after last week’s controversial loss at Seattle that they could turn things around during their three-game homestand. Coach Jim Caldwell demanded that his team not dwell on the Monday night loss, but instead they looked unprepared and unfocused from the start, turning the ball over on their first two possessions. The benching of Matthew Stafford adds another element to a wayward season. Can the franchise go forward in the long term with Stafford behind center? The next 11 games could also determine whether Caldwell will be around next season.

Etc.:

–LB DeAndre Levy made his first appearance of the season but it wasn’t a triumphant return. Levy, the team’s top linebacker and tackler in recent years, re-aggravated the hip injury that had sidelined him since late in training camp. He did not have a tackle. “It was feeling really good up until the one play where I felt the tweak a little bit,” he said. “It’s just something I have to keep managing.”

–WR Golden Tate was targeted 18 times and caught eight passes for 74 yards on Sunday. But Tate also fumbled in the first half, leading to an Arizona touchdown that gave the visitors a 28-7 halftime lead. Tate has 26 receptions but is still looking for his first touchdown. “When we shoot ourselves in the foot, it’s always hard to come back from that,” he said. “They kept the gas pedal down, we kept making mistakes, including myself, and we were finding ways to lose again.”

–QB Dan Orlovsky relieved Matthew Stafford in the third quarter after Stafford threw three interceptions. Orlovsky played well, racking up 191 passing yards and tossing a late touchdown pass to Lance Moore. Before Sunday, Orlovsky had not completed a pass since Week 15 of 2012. “It’s no different than an injury, really,” he said. “You just have to always be ready and that’s part of the job description.”