Glendale, Ariz. — Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett discusses three players who helped themselves, and three who hurt their stock in the Detroit Lions win over Arizona Cardinals, 17-3, on Sunday.

Stock up

Darius Slay

Slay hasn’t played at a Pro Bowl level most of the season, but the Lions’ No. 1 cornerback made the game’s biggest play when he returned a Josh Rosen interception 67 yards for a touchdown. That score gave the Lions the 10-0 cushion they needed in a low-scoring game. Slay also broke up a big third-down pass earlier in the game, after briefly leaving with an injury.

Zach Zenner

Zenner had four carries on the season entering Sunday, but with the Lions clinging to a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, they turned to the fourth-year running back to close the game out. Zenner delivered with 12 carries for a game-high 54 yards, and he carried on seven of eight plays on the Lions’ fourth-quarter touchdown drive, eventually scoring on a 1-yard run. It was Zenner’s best day rushing since Dec. 26, 2016 against Dallas.

Jarrad Davis

Davis has had an inconsistent season, but he was at his best Sunday. The second-year linebacker had eight tackles, including two for loss, one sack and broke up a pass. He was quick to diagnose plays and he made a handful of big hits, as he often does. The Lions have been very good defensively in recent weeks, and Davis has been a big reason why. If he continues to play like he did Sunday, there's no reason to think that won't continue in 2019.

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Stock down

DE Ziggy Ansah

Ansah probably played his last game as a Lion on Sunday after he left in the first half with what appears to be a season-ending right shoulder injury. Since his breakout 14½ sack season in 2015, Ansah has 18 sacks and has missed 11 games with injuries. He’ll be a free agent in March, and it’s probably best for both parties to part ways. The Lions need an every-down pass rusher to play at right end.

Lions receivers

It’s amazing how thin the Lions are at the wide receiver position, after beginning the year with what appeared to be one of the best units in the league. On Sunday, the Lions got seven catches for 27 yards from a receiving corps of Kenny Golladay, Bruce Ellington, TJ Jones and Andy Jones. Marvin Jones, on injured reserve because of a knee injury, should be back next season, but the Lions have to address the position in the draft or free agency.

The State Farm Stadium grounds crew

It was embarrassing Sunday how bad the field was at State Farm Stadium. Several Lions players spent the first half slip-sliding their way across field, to the point that a number of players had to change cleats on the sideline. The NFL cancelled a game in Mexico City earlier this year because of poor field conditions, but the league needs to take a long look at the field in Arizona and make sure it’s in better condition for late-season games in the future.

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Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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