The Detroit Lions cruised to an easy 37-24 Week 5 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and their defense was a big reason why.
The Lions ran up a 28-3 lead while holding the Bengals to just 166 yards of total offense through the first three quarters, and if not for two Ja'Marr Chase touchdown grabs in garbage time in the fourth quarter, one of which went for 64 yards, Detroit's win would've looked even more dominant.
Though Bengals quarterback Jake Browning finished with 251 yards passing and three touchdowns, Detroit's secondary put forth a strong performance before letting its foot off the gas in the final quarter.
Perhaps most impressive among the team's defensive backs was second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold, who allowed only three catches on six targets for just 28 yards and a 63.2 passer rating against.
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Arnold shut down all three of Cincinnati's top options in coverage on Sunday, limiting Chase to two catches for 13 yards on four targets, Tee Higgins to zero catches on one target, and Andrei Iosivas to one catch for 15 yards on one target, according to Pro Football Focus, prompting head coach Dan Campbell to give him rave reviews on Monday morning.
"I just thought he was very competitive, I thought he was calm, I thought he was cool, and I feel like this was one of the better games he'd played in a while," Campbell told reporters. "I thought he was really good. We put a lot on him, and I thought he answered the bell."
And while Campbell sang Arnold's praises, he also delivered some crushing news to Lions fans as well.
"Unfortunately, [Arnold is] going to be out for a while. He's going to be out for a long time," Campbell added. "… Don't know that [it will be a season-ending injury situation], but it will be a while."
Arnold didn't finish Sunday's game against the Bengals, leaving late in the second half with a shoulder injury. Th former first-round pick has played banged up for most of the season, suffering a groin injury at the start of the year, and battling a shoulder injury over the last two games.
In his absence, Amik Robertson, Rock-Ya Sin, Tre Flowers and Nick Whiteside are all expected to help fill the void.
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