Lions vs. Cardinals stock report: 5 risers, 4 fallers from win in the desert

They say if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. On Sunday, the Detroit Lions were comfortable in the kitchen, fending off the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale by a score of 20-13. They continued to show some of the cracks we've seen in recent weeks, but unlike last week against Tampa Bay, the Lions found a way to overcome those faults for a win. Here are your movers for the week.

Stock up: Carlton Davis III, CBStats:

Carlton Davis held his own in coverage on Sunday, as he has throughout the season thus far, but that's not what earned him this week's move. Davis was the Lions' best run defender from start to finish on Sunday. That's not usually a noteworthy thing for a cornerback, but on Sunday, that was quite literally what decided the game.

Derrick Barnes left the game early with an injury and wouldn't return. Barnes, as we discussed in last week's stock report, has quickly become a glue for the Lions defense, particularly in setting the edge in the run game. Amidst his absence, Davis stepped up and showed tremendous discipline and pursuit in run support. His fourth-down stop on Kyler Murray in the third quarter exhibited a smart pursuit angle and a tremendous level of effort that ultimately resulted in a turnover by mere inches. This wasn't what I had on my bingo card when the Lions signed Davis, but I'll absolutely take it.

Stock up: Aaron Glenn, DC The Lions entered this game reeling from a Week 2 loss where they struggled to keep Baker Mayfield in the pocket. Against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, many expected things to be worse. After the Cardinals' opening offensive drive concluded with Kyler Murray finding 34 rushing yards, it was definitely going worse.

In a surprising turn of events, Glenn found a way to adjust the defense such that Murray would only net 11 rushing yards over the next three and a half quarters. It was key to a Lions win, and it involved getting creative. Glenn deserves credit for finding ways to keep Carlton Davis near the line of scrimmage for run support, as well as adjustments that found Terrion Arnold with better safety help in the second half after a rough start to the game.

Ultimately, the Cardinals offense failed to adjust on Sunday, whereas the Lions defense did so quickly and efficiently. Kudos to Glenn, whose defense has masked several offensive deficiencies through three weeks.

Stock down: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LBStats:

It has been a quiet season thus far for JRM outside of his usual special teams duties. However, Sunday's linebacker injuries led to more defensive reps for the veteran. The only problem? He didn't look like a veteran.

Reeves-Maybin picked up a really bad unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit as the Cardinals drove down the field at the end of the first half. JRM's free 15 yards ushered the Cardinals into field goal range. It was a costly mistake from a guy who simply doesn't make these kinds of mistakes.

Stock up: Kerby Joseph, SStats:

Kerby Joseph has always been a ballhawk, but it has usually come at the cost of streaky play. He'll play aggressive, but he takes risks and sometimes comes up empty-handed. So far this season, the Lions have seen less risk and more reward out of the third-year safety.

On Sunday, Joseph snagged an interception in the end zone to stifle the Cardinals as they came out of halftime with momentum. It was the second time in three weeks he has come up with an end zone interception that would prove pivotal down the stretch. He paired today's pick with several nice looks in coverage, playing tight but not too aggressive and balancing his risk with the reward. It's a nice step forward for the now-veteran.

Stock neutral: Jameson Williams, WRStats:

It was a terribly underwhelming day at the office for Jamo as far as stats are concerned, with just two net yards of offense to show for. However, the tape will tell a different story. The Cardinals spent much of the afternoon playing their safeties deep to neutralize Jamo, and that takes their best defensive player in Budda Baker out of the equation. The result was a lot more available underneath to Brock Wright and Amon-Ra St. Brown, allowing the offense to keep on moving with both the short passing game and the run game.

Stock up: Jared Goff, QBStats:

Goff definitely looked sharper this week than last, but he continued his lucky streak with a pick-six taken off the board, and is still throwing the ball right into defenders' hands. He earns a stock up for clutching up in the fourth, both with his arms and his legs. However, I still have serious concerns about where his eyes are going on offense through three weeks.

Quick Hits Stock upBrock Wright, TE: When Dan Skipper left the game in the first drive, the Lions opted to lean on Brock Wright to fill the role of an extra blocker. Ben Johnson had other plans, though, getting Wright involved early and often to the tune of four receptions on five targets Sunday. Wright did whiff on a block during a second-quarter goal-line run, but otherwise looked solid.

Stock neutralTerrion Arnold, CB: Arnold continues to be around the ball, and his physical play style matched up well with the Cardinals receivers. He still needs to work on getting his head around, though. It caused more costly pass interference penalties for the Lions Sunday, and several more that could have easily been called.

Stock downSam LaPorta, TE: LaPorta continues to have a diminished role in the offense thus far. He also got blown up on a pull block on the same play that Brock Wright whiffed on, ruining a run that likely would have otherwise scored. Bad timing from an otherwise reliable blocker.

Josh Paschal, DL: Paschal's only appearance on the stat sheet was a fourth-quarter roughing the passer call. It was a little dubious, but Paschal is quickly fading into oblivion amidst a crowded interior defensive line room, and this won't do him any favors.