The Detroit Lions offense exploded on the Arizona Cardinals in a 45-point outburst as they won their Week 5 matchup 45-21. While the blowout win heading into the bye week is a nice feeling, the overall vibe for the 3-2 Lions is that it still was not good enough.
“We put up 45; it was good for us today, but I still feel like we missed out,” said Williams. “Like I said, we had three and outs, so you know, we could have had more than that.”
The Lions’ first three drives of the game were three-and-outs, and the team left the first quarter trailing 7-0. So, there was some disappointment despite the onslaught of 24 points that came in the second quarter to give them a 24-7 halftime lead.
Detroit Lions Could Have Scored More in Blowout Win
It was clear that the message was not just being sent from Williams. This was a sentiment from head coach Dan Campbell down to the entire team. He spoke with the media on Monday after the game and made it clear that while he was happy with the tape he saw, he still sees a higher ceiling for this roster.
“That’s a step in the right direction, but to think that’s gonna be good enough for Green Bay, it’s not,” Campbell said.
Detroit has a bye week, and then they face their division rivals at home. The Packers are 3-2 and coming off of an impressive win. They are better than the Cardinals.
Campbell made it clear that the idea during the bye week is going to be focused on improving and not reflecting on their best performance of the season.
“It was our best game this year, but to say that well, there we are. We’ve arrived. That would not be wise,” added Campbell.
The Lions’ head coach has made it a habit to challenge the offense to continue to raise the ceiling in 2026. While they continue to be one of the best in the NFL, Campbell continues to insist that the group can improve. It speaks to the expectations he has.
Lions Offense Has High Bar to Clear
Quarterback Jared Goff had the same sentiment after the game. He made it clear that the offense has been good, but they strive to be great.
“We’ve been good, right? Today we were great, and still some things to be better at, certainly,” added Goff. “But today we kind of said, ‘OK, that’s what we’re capable of.’ It’s good to know that that’s our standard now, and we can hold guys accountable to what we just did today.”
The Lions expect to be great, and that means consistently scoring 40 points. So, it is not just the head coach sending the message that they can be better. The entire room agrees that there is still untapped potential, despite the 45-point performance.
The group has heard that they are not the same without Ben Johnson. However, they are averaging 29.3 points per game right now. They averaged 29 points per game with Johnson as offensive coordinator.
Dan Campbell Issues Warning After Lions Blowout Win