Cardinals trounce Lions, increase NFC West lead

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DETROIT -- Carson Palmer and Matthew Stafford both stood on the sideline in the fourth quarter.

One earned the break and the other was forced to sit.

Palmer threw for three touchdowns, Stafford was benched after throwing a third interception, and the Arizona Cardinals routed the Detroit Lions 42-17 Sunday.

The Cardinals (4-1) have a two-game lead in the NFC West.

The Lions (0-5) have the dubious distinction of being the NFL's only winless team and are off to their worst start since becoming the league's only 0-16 team in 2008.

Palmer was poised and efficient, completing 11 of 14 passes for 161 yards. He threw a 14-yard pass to Darren Fells, an 18-yard connection to John Brown, and a 2-yard strike to Larry Fitzgerald for scores.

Stafford simply struggled, getting picked off on passes well short of receivers and missing at least one wide-open option. He was replaced in the third quarter by Dan Orlovsky.

Detroit's quarterbacks combined to set an NFL record with 70 pass attempts in a regulation game, surpassing the 69 thrown by the New York Jets in 2000 against Baltimore, according to STATS.

Orlovsky threw his first pass since 2012 and took a snap for the first time in two years. In Detroit at least, he is best remembered for obliviously running out of the back of the end zone when rolling out to pass for a safety during a setback at Minnesota when the franchise infamously made history.

After the Lions lost every game seven years ago, they drafted Stafford No. 1 overall out of Georgia, ignoring questions about his inability to throw accurately. Now, they are relatively stuck after signing him two years ago to a $53 million, three-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2017.

Stafford was 20 of 32 for 188 yards with a 6-yard TD pass to Theo Riddick that gave Detroit a 7-0 lead after its defense didn't allow the Cardinals to score a point - or even pick up a first down - following two turnovers in the first quarter. Orlovsky completed 21 of 38 passes for 191 yards with a TD late in the game and an interception.

Palmer, meanwhile, earned a 154.2 passer rating, the second highest of his career that started after Cincinnati drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003. He helped the Cardinals average an NFL-high 37 points entering the game, and they surpassed that with a mixture of plays.

Chris Johnson had 11 carries for 103 yards, giving him nearly 300 yards rushing in three games. Rookie David Johnson took over in short-yardage situations, scoring on a 4-yard run to put Arizona ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter and a 2-yarder late in the first half. Fitzgerald caught five passes for 58 yards and a score. Brown had four receptions for 73 yards and a TD.

Rashad Johnson matched a career high with two interceptions. Patrick Peterson picked off a pass and limited Calvin Johnson to five receptions and 67 yards. Defensive end Cory Redding, who played for the Lions' 0-16 team, had an interception that he almost returned for a score, only to be stopped by Stafford.

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