Discussion: Which Lions player needs to step up vs. the Cardinals?

To say the Detroit Lions have major problems would be a pretty significant overstatement. They, like 22 other teams, have at least one loss through two weeks of the NFL, and while their offense isn’t up to their own lofty standards, it’s still producing average numbers. Will they need to play better to reach their ultimate goal of the Super Bowl? No doubt. In fact, a lot better. That will also fall on the shoulders of the coaching staff, who has made a handful of costly errors already in the team’s first two games.

It won't’ be easy this week against a confident and strong Arizona Cardinals team, which means it’s time for someone to step up and make a difference for the Lions. Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Lions player needs to step up vs. the Cardinals?

My answer: The simplest choice would be Jared Goff, who has uncharacteristically struggled so far this season. If he can see the field a little better, show more comfort in the pocket, and deliver accurate passes, that, alone, could fix a lot of Detroit’s current issues.

But I’m not here to take the chalk answers and further continue Goff discourse that has been beaten to death this week.

Instead, I need to see a little more from the outside cornerback room, particularly Terrion Arnold.

It’s been rough sledding for the Lions first-round pick. While I think he’s been the victim of some really ticky-tacky pass interference penalties, he clearly needs to do more to make sure the refs don’t have even a single reason to throw the flag on him. The good news is for a couple of those calls, he was in the exact right position to make a clean play. Now it’s time to make those plays.

The Cardinals aren’t a team that loves to air it out 40 times a game, but Kyler Murray is going to take his shots. And given that Detroit loves to play base defense—and will probably play even more against a tight-end heavy offense—that means he’s not going to have a ton of help over the top.

So far, per PFF, Arnold has ceded 11 catches on 13 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown. I’m certain those numbers will improve with time, but why not start this week with a solid performance against a red-hot Cardinals offense?

Who would you like to see step up in Week 3? Scroll down to the comment section and give your answer.